Demography : Births Deaths Fertility The ageing population Flashcards
Demography
Demography is the study of populations and their characteristics E.g. Size Is population growing or declining? Age structure Is average age rising or falling?
Factors affecting this include : births, deaths, immigration, emigration
Sociologists are interested in the main trends in the UK since 1900
Birth and fertility rate
Birth rate : is the number of live births per 1000 of the population per year
Sociologists recognise that since 1900 there has been a long-term decline in birth rate
E.g. 1900 : 28.7 , 2014 : 12.2
Since 1900 there have been three baby booms Times when many babies were born
- Post WW1 and WW2 When men came back from fighting in war
- 1960s Due to mass migration People from countries where birth rate is higher coming to the UK And changing attitudes to sex ‘The summer of love’
- Post-2001 EU enlargement People from countries where birth rate is higher coming to the UK
Total fertility rate : Is the average number of children a woman will have during fertile years Fertile years are from the onset of puberty (around age 15) to the onset of menopause (around age 44)
This is affected by number of fertile women and how fertile they are
TFR 1960s : 2.95 , 2001 : 1.63 , 2014 : 1.83
These changes show : Many women are remaining childless - Some women now not in relationships due to E.g. financial independence They may not have children, more women are postponing having children - They may want to establish a career first Postponing = less time to have children = less children
Reasons for decline in birth rate
- Changes in position of women Women no longer see themselves as homemaker They do not feel they have to find a husband and have a family They want to establish a career first Many therefore will not have children or postpone having children
- Decline in IMR Infant Mortality Rate Less babies are dying before their first birthday Due to better health care Better living conditions No reason for babies to be ‘replaced’
- Children are an economic liability Child labour laws and compulsory schooling mean children cannot work They cannot be a financial asset for their family Instead they cost the family money Many families cannot afford this They may have less children or not have children at all
- Child centredness More money on less children People care for their children They want to provide good life They want to focus on their children without having too many children to focus on
Future trends in birth rates
Family size has decreased over the last century E.g. Extended families –> Nuclear families –> Single parent families
However there has been slight increase in BR since 2001
One reason for this is increase in immigration (EU enlargement Free movement) on average Mothers from outside of the UK have higher TFR than those born in UK Babies born to mothers from outside of the UK accounted for 25% of all births in the UK in 2011
What are implications of changes in fertility
- The family Smaller families More women working Better-off couples may have more children as they can afford the economic implications of having children
- The dependency ratio This is the size of the working population Vs size of non-working dependent population (children OAPs) The money of the working population must support the dependent population Less children = Less future young working people This could lead to problems
- Public services and policies Fewer schools needed Less child service funding needed Different size houses for smaller families Less people on maternity/paternity leave Etc.
Death rate IMR and Life expectancy
Since 1900 there has been a decline in DR death rate
E.g. 1902 : 18, 2007 : 8.9
Since 1900 there has also been a decline in IMR infant mortality rate
E.g. 1902 : 142, 2007 : 5
Average life expectancy has also increased
Sociologists ask why
Explanations :
- Improved health education
- Improved hygiene, sanitation and medicine
- Higher living standards
- Public health and welfare
- Improved working conditions
LE life expectancy refers to how long on average a person born in a particular year can expect to live LE has increased quite significantly since 1900
E.g. Males born in England 1900 : LE of 50 years
Females born England 1900 : LE of 57 years
Males born England 2013 : LE of 90.7 years
Females born England 2013 : LE of 94 years
There are also class, gender, regional differences in LE :
Class - W/c men are nearly 3x more likely to die before age 65 than M/c men This could be due to harsher working conditions, less access to healthcare Etc.
Gender - Women generally live longer than men This could be explained biologically or psychologically
Regional - Those living in the North and Scotland have lower LE than those living in the South This could be tied to social class
The ageing population
The average age of the UK population has been increasing This means there are fewer younger people within the population and more older people This is caused by social changes such as Increasing LE Declining IMR Declining fertility rates
E.g. Average age of UK population
1971 - 34.1 years
2007 - 39.6 years
2013 - 40.3 years
2037 projected to be 42.8 years
The effects of ageing population
- Public services Older people consume larger amount of public services E.g. Health and social care, they get free transport, council housing Etc.
- One-person pensioner households Higher numbers of older people are living alone Especially women due to longer life expectancy and they are often younger than their husbands Does this use up housing for younger people
- Ageism Age status is socially constructed Old age is connected to ‘dependency’ and negative stereotypes People may discriminate against older people Age is a protected characteristic Equality Act 2010
- The dependency ratio Older people who no longer work are often dependent on the working population to provide for them (pensions) As LE is longer there are more older people As more people retire there will be an increase in the burden on the working population They will have to pay more tax to provide for dependent population
Ageing population policy implications
There will need to be a number of changes in government policies to help with the problems of an ageing population How can we finance a longer period of old age?
- Changes to the retirement age Average age of retirement getting older
- Reverse the trend of early retirement
- Retraining to start different careers Due to a longer life people may want many different careers throughout their life
- Changing housing policies More older people need housing Many live alone
- Cultural changes in our attitudes towards older people - Acting against ageism
Ageism Modernity and postmodernity
Old age in modern society - Life is structured into age categories Our identity and status are determined by our role in production Those excluded from production (older people) are therefore dependent and stigmatised
Old age in postmodern society - Fixed life stages have broken down We have more choice about lifestyle Consumption has become key to our identities
