Demography Topic 4

Question 0

What is the total fertility rate?

Answer 0

The total fertility is the average number of children women will have in their fertile years (15-44) the UKs Total fertility rate has risen from 1.63 in 2001 to 1.84 in 2006

Question 1

What is the birth rate?

Answer 1

Birth rate is the number of live births per 1000 people per year. There has been fluctuations in births with 3 baby booms in the 20th century. The first two came after the two world wars, then the third was in the 1960
There has been a decline in birth rate (1900 - 29 per 1000 and 2000 - 12 per 1000)

Question 2

Changes in birth rates and fertility rates show what?

Answer 2

More women are remaining childless

Women are postponing having children

Question 3

What are the reasons for the decline in the birth rate?

Answer 3

Changes in position of women (during 20th century)
Decline in infant mortality rate
Children being an economic liability
Child centredness

Question 4

What is the dependancy ratio and how is it affected by a lower birth rate?

Answer 4

The ratio of the working population compared to the non working population. Less babies being born means there will be less young adults and a smaller working population so the burden of dependency may increase

Question 5

How are public services and policies effected by a lower birth rate?

Answer 5

A lower birth rate has consequences for public services for example less schools, maternity and child health services may be needed and the cost of maternity leave can be affected

Question 6

What is the death rate?

Answer 6

The death rate is the number of deaths, per 1000 of the population. In 1900 it was 19 per 1000, then 10 by 2007
Number of deaths has stayed stable since 1900 but there has be fluctuations for example two world wars and a flu epidemic brought deaths to a record level of 690,000

Question 7

What are the reasons for the decline in death rate?

Answer 7

Improved nutrition
Medical improvements
Public health improvements
Other social changes

Question 8

What has happened to life expectancy?

Answer 8

Life expectancy has increased for example males born in England in 1900 were on average expected to live until they were 50 but now in 2005 it’s 77 years
In 1900 there was a lower life expectancy because of so many infant mortalities

Question 9

What is the ageing population?

Answer 9

There are now less young people and more old people in the population, the 3 reasons for an ageing population are increased life expectancy, low infant mortality and declining fertility

Question 10

How does an ageing population effect

Public services
One person pensioner households
The dependency ratio

Answer 10

Public services - older people use services such as health and social care the most compared to younger people
One person pensioner households- 14% of all households are one-person pensioner households, most being females as they live longer
The dependency ratio- the non working are economically dependant and need to be provided for by those working I.e taxes, the more people who retire the higher the dependency ratio

Question 11

Why is ageing a problem?

Answer 11

People think and speak of old age as being negative for example whether society can afford the costs of health and social care for the old.
Ageism often labels the old as vulnerable and a burden to society

Question 12

What does hirsh argue about an ageing population?

Answer 12

Hirsh argues well need new policies to pay for an ageing population, this can be done by paying more in taxes or increasing the retirement age

Question 13

Reasons for the decline in birth rate

1.changes in position of women (during 20th century)

Answer 13

Increased educational opportunities 
More women working
Easier access to divorce
Access to abortion and contraception 
Changes in attitudes to family life and women's role

Question 14

Reasons for the decline in birth rate

2. Decline in infant mortality rate

Answer 14

IMR Measures the number of infants who die before their first birthday, per 100 babies born alive, per year.
In 1900 the IMR for the uk was 154 but it began to fall because of-
Improved housing
Better sanitation and nutrition
Better knowledge of childcare
Health services for mothers and children
From 1950s IMR began to fall because of mass immunisation of childhood diseases, by 1950 the UKs IMR had fell to 30 then to 5 in 2007

Question 15

Reasons for the decline in birth rate

3.children being an economic liability

Answer 15

Until the 19th century children were economic assets to their problem because they went to work, now children have become an economic liability because

• Laws banning child labour and introducing compulsory school mean children are economically dependant on parents for longer
• Changing norms of what children expect from their parents

Question 16

Reasons for the decline in birth rate

4.child centredness

Answer 16

Child centredness means childhood is socially constructed and is an important period in their life
A shift from ‘quantity’ to ‘quality’ in family size mean parents have less children and give them more attention and recourses instead

Question 17

Reasons for the decline in death rate

1. Improved nutrition

Answer 17

Mckeown argued that half the reduction in the death rate was because of better nutrition which increased resistance to infections

Question 18

Reasons for the decline in death rate

2. Medical improvements

Answer 18

After 1950 the rate fell because of medical knowledge, antibiotics and the setting up of the national health service in 1949

Question 19

Reasons for the decline in death rate

3. Public health improvements

Answer 19

More effective government with the power to pass and enforce laws led to improvements in local health such as cleaner drinking water and the clean air act

Question 20

Reasons for the decline in death rate

4. Other social changes

Answer 20

Decline in manual jobs i.e mining
Smaller families reduce the rate of infection being passed on
Better public knowledge of the causes of illness
Higher incomes