demography: death rates

Question 1

reasons for fall in death rates

Answer 1

• hygiene, sanitation, knowledge
• higher standards of living
• The Welfare State
• higher standards of health and saftey at work- shorter working hours
• advances in medicine and science- vaccines

Question 2

deaths rates + life expectancy: McKeown

Answer 2

believes that improvements in standards of living have been the most important development especially diet

Question 3

consequences of fall in death rate

Answer 3

• ageing population
• increasing dependency ratio
• strain on welfare/pension
• increase retirement age
• sandwich gen
• elderly poverty
• increase immigration

Question 4

death rates + ageing population: Wall

Answer 4

found that in 1950s 40% of elderly had been taken in by their relatives, dropped to 5% in mid 1990s

Question 5

death rates + ageing population: Victor

Answer 5

found that one person households may be seeing slight revival. 10% of over 65s living with extended relatives

Question 6

death rates + ageing population: Healey and Yarrow

Answer 6

burden mostly falls to women when 10% of people in 50s and 60s are for elderly person and grandchild

Question 7

death rates + ageing population: Brannen

Answer 7

argues that children are more likely to have closer ties with grandparents and great grandparents as there are fewer aunts, uncles, cousins

Question 8

death rates + ageing population: Ross et al

Answer 8

older people are taking more active role in family life, 47% of people aged over 50 look after grandchildren for average of 10 hours a week

Question 9

what is the feminisation of later life? Chambers

Answer 9

many elderly are women due to longer life expectancy

Question 10

the dependency ratio

Answer 10

the economic cost of an ageing population- huge cost implications for state and society

Question 11

what does National Insurance contribute?

Answer 11

the current workforce pay for the pensions of current elderly people claiming them