demography- decline in birth rates Flashcards
demography
the study of the population and how this changes over time
- focused on how the number of births and deaths, and the number of people entering and leaving the country (migration), affect the size, sex, and age structure of the population.
The population of Britain grew steadily between + how much did it reach in 2009?
1971 and 2003 to reach 61.2 million people in 2009.
birth rate
this refers to the number of live births per 1000 of the population over a year.
reasons for the decline in birth rates
-change in women’s position
-decline in the infant mortality rate
-children as an economic liability
-child centredness
how many children born in 2004 in Britain?
716,000 children were born in Britain in 2004.
716,000 children were born in Britain in 2004. this is?
34% fewer births than in 1901 and 21% fewer than 1971
post-war ‘babyboom’ peaking at
1.1 million in 1920.
Since 2001, the birth rate has
steadily risen
In 2007, the ONS announced that the 2006 birth rate was the highest for 26 years.
infant mortality rate
the number of children dying at birth or in their first year of life per 1000 births per year
decline in infant mortality rate
(major decline at the end of the nineteenth century which continued into the twentieth century)
because of improvements in sanitation, water supplies, and nutrition, rather than medical progress, the decline in child mortality rates meant that parents no longer needed many children to ensure that a few survived.
( parents have fewer ‘replacement babies’ to make up for those who die before their first birthday.)
changes in women’s position
-women gain independence
-focus on their career
-attitudes towards women changed so their attitude to family life also changed –> see themselves as ‘child-free’ rather than ‘childless’
-Anthony Giddens and Ulrich Beck regard this as the most important factor for explaining decline in birth rates
-women have formal legal equality with men, and increased educational opportunities (girls are now outperforming boys at school), women now make up half the workforce, and this has led to changes in attitudes to family life
– Career now comes first for many women, and childbearing is delayed by an average of ten years compared to in the 1950s.
children as an economic liability
children acted as an economic asset until late 19th century as they would go out to work
-now laws prevent children from working and ensures they are in education until 18 so act as a net drain on parents income, expensive so fewer children
child-centredness
it is expected that children be the centre of family life, and parents are expected to spend more money (£250K is the average cost) and more time than ever engaged with their children – it is easier to do this with fewer children.
Between 1950 and 2023 the birth rate in England and Wales declined from
18/1000 to 11/1000
average age of women having children
around 30
