F+H - Demography Flashcards
What is the birth rate?
The number of live births per 1,000 people per year.
What is the fertility rate (TFR)?
The average number of children a woman has during her childbearing years (15-44).
What is the Infant Mortality Rate (IMR)?
The number of deaths of children under one year old per 1,000 live births.
How have birth rates changed since 1900?
Fell from 29 (1900) to 12 (2014) per 1,000, with baby booms post-wars and 1960s.
How has the Total Fertility Rate (TFR) changed?
Fell from 3.5 (1900) to 1.6 (2001), rising slightly to 1.8 by 2005.
What are the main reasons for declining birth rates?
Availability of birth control, fall in IMR, women prioritizing careers, child-centered families, and children becoming an economic liability.
How did the availability of birth control affect birth rates?
Contraceptives became free in 1974, and abortion was legalized in 1967, leading to fewer births.
Why did the fall in Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) lead to smaller families?
Families no longer needed to have many children to compensate for the risk of child mortality.
How have women’s careers influenced fertility rates?
Women delay having children to focus on careers, reducing the number of children they have.
Why are children now seen as an economic liability?
Laws banning child labor and compulsory education mean children are financially dependent for longer.
What is the death rate?
The number of deaths per 1,000 people per year.
How have death rates changed in the UK since 1900?
Fell from 19 (1900) to 9 (2014), despite fluctuations during wars and epidemics.
What are the main reasons for the decline in death rates?
- Public health improvements
- Better medicine
- Improved health awareness
- The welfare state.
How did public health improvements reduce death rates?
- Cleaner water
- Better sewage systems
- Improved housing reduced waterborne diseases
What role did medicine play in reducing death rates?
Antibiotics, vaccines, and better surgical techniques reduced deaths from infectious diseases.
How did the welfare state contribute to lower death rates?
The NHS (1948) provided free healthcare, improving medical access and living standards.
What is life expectancy, and how has it changed since 1900?
The average period a person is expected to live. Rose from 50 (men) and 57 (women) in 1900 to 79 (men) and 83 (women) in 2018.
Why do working-class people have lower life expectancy?
- Poorer diets
- Lifestyles
- Higher rates of smoking and drinking
Why do men have a lower life expectancy than women?
Men tend to smoke and drink more than women.
Why is life expectancy higher in Southern England than in the North?
Higher concentration of working-class people in the North with poorer living conditions.
What is an ageing population?
A population with a higher proportion of elderly people due to lower birth rates and higher life expectancy.
What are the effects of an ageing population?
Rise in one-person households, increased dependency ratio, ageism, and pressure on pensions and healthcare.
What is the dependency ratio?
The ratio of non-working (under 16 & over 64) to working-age population.
How is the UK’s average age projected to change by 2031?
Expected to rise from 34 (1971) to 43 (2031).
