Families- demography Flashcards
What is a definition of demography?
-the study of the number of births and deaths
-the number of people entering and leaving a country
-how it affects the structure of the population
What is birth rate and what is the trend over time in the UK?
-number of live births per 1000 of the pop
-has fallen from 28.7 in 1900 to 11.4 in 2020
What is fertility rate and what is the trend over time in the UK?
-the avg number of children women will have during their fertile years
-fluctuates from year to year but in long term, it has declined
-in baby boom it hit high of 2.93 children per woman (1964)
-2020 it was 1.53
What are some future trends in birth rate?
-long term decline but slight increase since 2001
-due to increase in immigration, mothers generally have higher fertility rate - 25% of births in 2011
-projection is up to 2041 avg no of births will be a constant of 800,000
How has changes in women’s position caused the decline of the birth rate? - sociologist and evidence?
-more focused on career so have less children
-legal equality with men - right to vote
-easy access to divorce
-more access to contraception and abortion
-women have more educational opportunities
-Harper found that in 2019, 1 in 5 women aged 45 were childless
How has the decline in infant mortality rate caused the decline of the birth rate? - sociologist and evidence?
-Harper argues that if many infants die, parents have more children to replace them
-if infants aren’t dying, parents will have fewer of them
-improved sanitation and housing leads to less infants dying
-better healthcare and mass immunisation of babies also lower IMR
-in 1900, the IMR was 154 - 15% of babies died during their first year
-in 2019 it was 4.6
What is the infant mortality rate?
-measures number of infants that die before their first bday per 1000, per year
How has children now being an economic liability caused a decline in the birth rate? - evidence?
-laws banning child labour and compulsory schooling means children remain economically dependent for longer
-children can no longer create income for the family and rather cost the family more money now- parents deciding to have less children due to cost of them
-changing norms about what children expect from their parents - cost of bringing them up has risen - pester power
-227k spent by parents by the time a child is 21
How has child centeredness caused a decline in the birth rate? - evidence?
-children are now spoiled by parents and more focus/attention is put on each child - quality over quantity
-higher living standards means births go from 5.7 per women in 1860 to 1.83 in 2014.
-this can lead to toxic childhood where children have no freedom - leads to obesity and addiction
What is the dependency ratio?
-the relationship between the working population and the non working/dependent population (the young and the elderly)
-the taxes of the working population support the non-working population
How has the change in birth/fertility rate had effects on the family?
-smaller families make it easier for women to work which has created more dual earner couples
-children may become much lonelier as a result of fewer siblings- however also means they become more valued
-evaluation: wealthier families can afford childcare therefore have larger families whilst both parents work
How do children affect the dependency ratio?
-a fall in children means the ‘burden of dependency’ is reduced on the working population
-in longer term, fewer children means fewer young adults and a smaller working population - so the burden of dependency increases
What public services/policies are affected by a lower birth rate?
-housing type (less demand for bigger houses)
-number of schools and investment into schools
-fewer maternal and child health related services
What is a definition for the death rate?
-number of deaths per thousand per year
How has medical improvements caused the decline of the death rate? - sociologist, evidence?
-pre 1950’s, the main cause of death were infectious diseases such as typhoid, smallpox and measles
-after the discovery of antibiotics, this changed so that most deaths were caused by ‘diseases of affluence’ such as heart disease and cancer
-Tranter says over 3/4 of the decline in death rate was caused by a fall in number of infectious diseases.
-post 1950’s, medical advancements caused decline in deaths including: antibiotics, vaccines and life saving surgeries like transplants.
-less babies and mothers die in childbirth due to better tech
How has improved living standards and nutrition caused the decline of the death rate? - sociologist, evidence? - eval
-higher wages mean better quality foods and more amenities such as fridges in the home
-McKeown argues that better nutrition increased resistance to to infection and increased chances of survival to those that got infected.
-he says that improved nutrition accounted for up to half of the reduction in death rates
-evaluation: only those that can afford better foods benefit
-McKeown doesn’t explain why females, who receive less of the family food supply, outlive males.
How has public heath measures caused the decline of the death rate?
-sewage systems became healthier (enclosed underground system)
-provision of clean water supply
-better healthcare system overall due to creation of the NHS
-elderly are much better cared for with state pensions and care homes
-huge reduction in air pollution and smog
How has heath education caused the decline of the death rate? - sociologist, evidence? - eval
-more awareness on better hygiene
-more media/public awareness on diet and smoking
-more education in schools about having a healthier diet
-Harper says reduction in death rates is not caused by medical improvements but the reduction in people smoking
evaluation:
-obesity is on the rise with 1/4 of people being obese in 2012
-however, Harper argues that people use costly medication to still achieve a long lifespan even if they are obese - similar to USA
