F&H: Demography Flashcards
Define demography
The study of population, and changes to population size.
What is net migration? (What calculation?)
Immigration - emigration
Compare the UK population sizes: 1901 vs now
1901: 37 million
Now: 67 million
What is meant by ‘natural change’ in demography?
Births minus - deaths
In more recent years, what has been the main cause of population growth in the UK?
Net migration
Identify the 3 ways to measure the amount of births in the UK
1) number of live births per year
2) birth rate - number of live births per 1000 of the population per year
3) total fertility rate - average number of births a woman is likely to have in her fertile years
What is the current total fertility rate in the uk? Has it increased or decreased from the past?
1.6 children - 2022
Decreased
What is a baby boom?
A sudden increase in the birth rate
Give 2 examples of baby booms in the UK and explain why they happened
Early 1920s- WW1 ended, soldiers returned home + created families
Late 1940s- WW2 ended, ^ same reason
Mid 1960s- rise of the counterculture + change in youth attitudes
Early 2010s- recession 2008-09. 2010 onwards = more financially stable
NAME the 4 reasons for the overall decline in birth rate in the UK since 1900
1) changes in the position of women
2) decline in the infant mortality rate
3) contraception
4) cost of having a child
What 4 letter acronym helps to explain the changes in the positions of women as a reason for decline in birth rate
LEEA
-laws (more legal equality)
-education
-employment (more women in paid employment)
-attitudes (changes regarding women’s family role)
What is infant mortality rate?
The number of babies who die before turning 1 per 1000 of the population
What was the infant mortality rate in the UK in 1900?
154 / 1000 = 15%
What was the infant mortality rate in the UK in 2023?
4 / 1000 = 0.4%
What are some reasons for the lower infant mortality rate we have today?
Better sanitation, improved medical knowledge, improved maternity services, mass immunisation, better nutrition ETC
Harper argues that a fall in the infant mortality rate led to a fall in the birth rate. Explain why
When infant mortality rate is high, parents will have more children to replace those who have died. If more babies survive, parents now have more children and do not need to have more.
In what year was contraception first introduced by the NHS, and who was it available for? In what year was the policy then relaxed?
1961 - only available for MARRIED WOMEN
Policy relaxed in 1967, every women.
Raising a child in the UK until 18 is estimated between £______ - £_______ for parents
£155,000 - £185,000
What caused children to transition from economic assets to economic liabilities for their families?
Laws were introduced to ban children from the workplace + introduced compulsory schooling. This prolongs their period of economic dependency on their parents
What 3 areas are impacted by a declining birth rate?
- the family
- public services
- the dependency ratio
What type of families do we see with a declining birth rate?
Smaller families - women are more likely to be free to go out to work, creating the DUAL EARNER COUPLE
What is the dependency ratio?
The relationship between the size of the working part of the population + the size of the dependent part of the population. The earnings, savings, taxes of the working population must support the dependent population
Is low dependency ratio or high dependency ratio best?
Low dependency ratio
How does the declining birth rate impact the dependency ratio?
-children make up a large part of the dependent population. Therefore a fall in birth rate reduces the ‘burden of dependency’ on workers
-in the long term: fewer babies= fewer adults = smaller working population - burden of dependency increases again
How does the declining birth rate impact public services?
-fewer schools, maternity + child services may be needed
-affects the cost of maternity/paternity leave, and the types of housing that needs to be built
Identify the 2 ways in which we can measure deaths
1) number of deaths per year
2) death rate - number of deaths per 1000 of the population per year