Demography - birth rate Flashcards
Birth rate - definition
Number of live births per 1,000 of a population
What are the two factors determining birth rate ?
- How fertile they are
- proportion of woemn childbearing age
total fertility rate - def
the average number of children a woman will have during their fertile years
Reasons for the change in the birth rate (4)
- changes in position of women
- decline in infant mortality
- children are economic liabilities
- child centredness
Religion decline ( secularisation)
Birth rate
Changes in a womens position
+ what did harper say ?
- legal equality with men
- increased educaitonal opportunities
- more women in employment
- changes in family unit roles
- easier access to abortion / divorce
HARPER - education of women is the most important factor - as has caused a shift in mindset focusing on career
Infant mortality - def
number of infants who die within the first year oer 1,000 babies born per year
Birth rate
Decline in infant mortality
What did harper state?
first half of 20th century declines
* improved housing
* improved hygeine
* better nutrition
* knowledge of hygeine
* improved birthing services
Harper - argues a fall in IMR leads to a fall in birth rate as less die less are born
birth rate
Economic liabilities
- laws banned child labour
- compulsory schooling
- changing norms in what children expect from parents
Birth rate
Child centredness
Shift from quantity to quality so give more assets and attention to what they have
in what two areas can the changes in birth rate effect?
- dependency ratio
- public services and policies
what is the dependency ratio?
relationship between the size of the productive part of the population and the dependent part of the population
dependency ratio
- children not working increases dependency
- in longer term smaller working population - burden of dependency
- childhood may become lonlier
Public services and policies
fewer children means less customers for schools and childcare services
