Factors Affecting Levels of Fertility

Question 1

What are the main categories that ‘factors affecting fertility’ can be grouped into?

Answer 1

• demographic
• social/cultural
• economic
• political
• general health

Question 2

What are the demographic factors affecting fertility?

Answer 2

• mortality rates
  
  • high infant mortality causes parents to often have many children to ensure some survive

Question 3

What are the social/cultural factors affecting fertility?

Answer 3

• tradition:
  
  • demands high reproduction rates
  • women’s opinions may have little influence against intense cultural expectations (large families + early marriage leading to earlier reproduction)
• education:
  
  • lowers fertility, esp. as female literacy inc.:
    
    • as more knowledge of birth control
    • greater social awareness
    • more opportunity for employment
    • wider choice of action
    • delays childbirth
• religion:
  
  • some oppose artificial birth control (e.g. Muslim + Roman Catholic religions)

Question 4

What are the economic factors affecting fertility?

Answer 4

• in LICs: children seen as eco. assets bc of work + support they’re expected to give parents at old age
• in HICs: children seen as a financial burden bc of cost of child-dependency yrs
• eco. growth:
  
  • allows greater spending on health, housing, nutrition + education: lowers mortality + dec. fertility
• nature of employment:
  
  • many companies (esp. in HICs), don’t want to lose valuable female workers so may provide workplace childcare + flexibility

Question 5

What are the political factors affecting fertility?

Answer 5

• gov. introducing pro/anti-natalist policies to influence the immediate fertility variables:
  
  • contraception
  • sterilisation
  • abortion
  • ability to conceive
  • ability to form physical relationships
  • frequency of physical relationships

Question 6

What are the general health factors affecting fertility?

Answer 6

• factors that may dec. a womens fertility:
  
  • being overweight or underweight
  • using tobacco or alcohol
  • being exposed to envi. hazards such as radiation, toxic chemicals or microwave emissions