Demography - Births

Question 1

What does demography study?

Answer 1

Population, including factors affecting its size and growth.

Question 2

What factors affect the population?

Answer 2

1) . Births and immigration = increase the population.

2) . Deaths and emigration = decrease the population.

Question 3

What is natural change?

Answer 3

The number of births minus the number of deaths.

(deaths over births).

Question 4

What is net migration?

Answer 4

The number of immigrating into a country minus the number emigrating from it.

(immigration over emigration).

Question 5

How much has the UK’s population grew by since 1901?

Answer 5

From 37m to 65m today.

Question 6

What is the main cause in the growth of population in the UK?

Answer 6

Natural change rather than net migration.

Question 7

What are the 2 measures of births?

Answer 7

1) . The birth rate.

2) . The total fertility rate.

Question 8

What is the birth rate?

Answer 8

The number of live births per 1,000 of the population per year.

Question 9

What is the trend in the birth rate?

Answer 9

• Declining.

Question 10

What statistics support the long-term decline in the birth rate?

Answer 10

1900 = 29.

2014 = 12.2 (fallen more than 60%).

Question 11

What fluctuations have there been in the birth rate?

Answer 11

3 ‘baby booms’?

• After the world wars = people missed their families.
• Then in the 1960s.

Question 12

What else happened to the birth rate?

Answer 12

Fell in 70s, rose again in 80s and 90s, fell again until 2001.

Question 13

What is the total fertility rate?

Answer 13

The average number of children a mother will have during her fertile years (15-44).

Question 14

What is the trend of the total fertility rate?

Answer 14

• 1960s ‘baby boom’ =

average 2.95 children per women.

• 2001 =

declining to the lowest of 1.63.

• 2014 =

rising slightly to 1.83.

Question 15

How does the total fertility rate affect family size?

Answer 15

The more children, the bigger the family.

Question 16

What else affects family size?

Answer 16

Family size doesn’t just depend on the number of children =

• e.g. divorce divides family into 2 smaller ones and reduces the chance of the woman having more children.

Question 17

What are the 2 important trends in births?

Answer 17

1) . More women are remaining childless.

2) . Women are having children at a later age (ave. over 30).

Question 18

What are the 4 causes in the declining birth rate?

Answer 18

1) . Changes in the position of women.
2) . Fall in infant mortality rate.
3) . Children as an economic liability.
4) . Child-centredness.

Question 19

What were the major changes in women’s position in the 20th Century?

Answer 19

1) . Increased equal opportunities.
2) . More women working.
3) . Changes in attitudes to family life and women’s role.
4) . Easier access to divorce rate.
5) . Access to abortion and contraception.

Question 20

What did Sue Harper (2012) argue about the decline in birth rate?

Answer 20

Better-educated women have more options; it has led to women choosing a career, and delaying birth and marriage.

Question 21

What is an example that supports Harper’s claim?

Answer 21

2012 = 1/5 women aged 45 was childless; doubled since 25 years ago.

Question 22

What is the infant mortality rate (IMR)?

Answer 22

Number of infants who die before their 1st birthday, per 1,000 babies born alive, per year.

Question 23

What is the trend in the IMR?

Answer 23

Fallen in the last century.

Question 24

What statistics are there for the fall in the IMR?

Answer 24

1900 = 154.

2016 = 4.

Question 25

How has the fall in the IMR affected the birth rate?

Answer 25

It could cause a fall in the birth rate; if infants survive, parents will have fewer.

Question 26

What is the reason for the fall in the IMR?

Answer 26

1). Improved housing; better sanitation =

people flushed toilets and drank clean water.

2) . Better nutrition; including that of the mothers.
3) . Better knowledge of hygeine, child welfare and health; often spread via women’s magazines.
4) . Fall in married women working =

improved theirs and their babies health.

5). Improved services for women; antenatal and postnatal clinics.

Question 27

How were children an ‘asset’ for the family in the 19th century?

Answer 27

Children went out to work.

Question 28

How are children an economic liability?

Answer 28

1). Laws banning child labour =

also raising the school leaving age meant they could no longer work, being dependent on their families.

2). Changing norms =

children expect the right for higher standards of living (more materials).

Question 29

How has children becoming an economic liability affected the falling birth rate?

Answer 29

Parents are unable to afford to have a large family.

Question 30

How has families being more child-centred resulted in smaller families.

Answer 30

As childhood is now socially constructed, families prefer ‘quality’ over ‘quantity’; parents have fewer children and pay more attention to the ones they do have.

Question 31

What is the future trend in the birth rate?

Answer 31

It has slightly increased since 2001;

• Due to immigration; women outside of the UK have a higher fertility rate.
• 25% of births in 2011 were mothers from outside the UK.

Question 32

What are the impacts of these reasons on the falling birth rate?

Answer 32

1) . Women are freer to go to work = dual earner couple.
2) . Dependency ratio.
3) . Public services.

Question 33

How has the fall in births impacted the dependency ratio?

Answer 33

Fewer births means fewer children dependent =

• ‘burden of dependency’ on the working population is reduced as less children are using their taxes.

Question 34

How has the fall in birth rate impacted the number of public services needed?

Answer 34

Fewer schools and child services needed, and less spent of maternity/paternity leave =

these are political decisions - e.g. the government can either choose to have fewer schools or smaller classes.