Demography- birth rate

Question 1

What a key trend in birth rates?

Answer 1

Since 1900, fall in death rate and birth rat
- slowed down natural population growth

Question 2

What is birth rate?

Answer 2

The number of birth rates per 1000 of he population per year

Question 3

What is general fertility rate?

Answer 3

The number of live births per 1000 women of childbearing age (15-44) per year

Question 4

What is total fertility rate?

Answer 4

The average number of children women have during their childbearing years

Question 5

Main trends

Answer 5

• birth and fertility rate have overall decreased
  F- fluctuated to 1.92

Question 6

What are the 7 reasons for a decline in birth rates?

Answer 6

1- Decline in infant mortality rate/welfare state
2- The change in position of women
3- Geographically mobile labour force
4- Compulsory education
5- Changing values
6- Contraception
7- The rising cost of having children

Question 7

Why has a decline in infant mortality rate and welfare state led to declining birth rates?

Answer 7

• don’t have as many children as they are less likely to die
• don’t need to rely on them to care when they are older
• (carers and homes)

Question 8

How has the change in position of women led to declining birth rates?

Answer 8

• more career driven
• greater employment opportunities
• have children later or not at all
• have to combine work w
  with childcare responsibilities which limits them

Question 9

How do McRobbie and Sharpe support reason 2?

Answer 9

M- ‘marriage n motherhood’ to ‘degree n qualification’
S- girls priorities have changed
‘love, marriage, husbands, children to jobs and career’
- want to support themselves

Question 10

How has a geographically mobile labour force led to declining birth rates?

Answer 10

It encourages smaller families
- easy to move and pack up for different job locations

Question 11

How was compulsory education led to declining birth rates?

Answer 11

Children cannot make money from early ages
- costs lots for parents to support them
- Economic liability not asset

Question 12

How has changing values led to declining birth rates?

Answer 12

Couples reluctant
- do not want to sacrifice their money or
time
- more pressure
- individualism

Question 13

How has contraception led to declining birth rates?

Answer 13

Secularisation
- less disapproval and more acceptance of it
- safe and legal abortion
- women’s movement and feminism
- more reliable

Question 14

Ho has the rising cost of having children led to declining birth rates?

Answer 14

£154,000 from the age of 0-18
- limits size of family both adults and parents can spend more money and time on each child
- higher standard of living

Question 15

Research by Opinion Matters

Answer 15

The size of British families are declining because of the cost of bringing up children
- 58% said ‘money’ as a response to belong asked why they were not going to have a second child

Question 16

What does net migration mean?

Answer 16

Difference between the amount of people coming into the country (immigration)
and amount of people leaving the country (emigration)

Question 17

Changing role of women

Answer 17

Women choosing not to have children or have them later 35+
- wait longer to get pregnant
- have less children

Question 18

Divorce

Answer 18

High rates of divorce and separation mean many women may start a new family with their new partners in later life

Question 19

What does Wilkinson refer to the changing role of women as?

Answer 19

Genderquake

Question 20

The changing attitudes of women since the 1980s

Answer 20

• more career driven
• more influenced by feminist ideas
• more supported by social policy
  e.g. Equal Pay Act, Equal Opportunities Act

Question 21

What are the consequences of demographic changes on family life?

Answer 21

X less children = less future workers, impact on economy
X ageing workforce
X elderly people relying on care homes
X more ‘bean pole’ families
- more quality time with children
- more child centred
X spoilt children
- quality of life may improve
- focus on couple and their relationship
X- stronger or weaker relationships