Families & Households - Demographic Changes In The Family Flashcards
What is demography?
The study of characteristics of human populations e.g size, structure & how these change overtime
What is birth rate?
The number of live births per 1000 of the population per year
What is death rate?
The number of deaths per 1000 per year
What is infant mortality?
The number of deaths of babies in their 1st year per 1000 of the population per year
What is life expectancy?
An average of how long people can be expected to live from birth
What is total fertility rate?
The number of live births per 1000 women per year of child bearing age
What is Migration?
The movement of people
What are the 2 types of migration?
Immigration
Emigration
What is Immigration?
The number of people entering a country
What is Emigration?
The number of people leaving a country
What is an Ageing population?
The average age of the population getting higher -> the greater proportion of people over retirement age
What are the possible causes of population growth?
Natural growth -> more births than deaths (25% of all births born to UK mothers) + high net migration (26000 in 2014)
How has death rates changed over time?
Declined overall
1900 -> 19 per 1000
2012 -> 8.9 per 1000
2021 -> (increased due to Covid)
How has infant mortality rate changed over time?
Fallen overall:
1900 -> 154 per 1000
2012 -> 4 per 1000
2021 -> 3.5 per 1000
How has life expectancy changed over time?
Increased overall:
1900 -> M(50yrs), W(57yrs)
2023 -> M(79yrs), W(83yrs)
What are some of the reasons for declining death & infant mortality rate & increased life expectancy?
Better healthcare
Use of contraceptives
Better hygiene
Safe & healthier working conditions
Medical advances
Improved education
How has hygiene, sanitation & medicine improved overtime?
Construction of a public sewer system
Clean running water
Increased knowledge of hygiene & causes of infection
Advances in medicine & technology -> e.g. transplants
Modern day causes of death are self inflicted e.g. smoking & non infectious disease e.g. cancer
How have living standards improved over time?
Higher wages, better food & housing conditions & improvements to housing appliances -> higher life expectancy
Improved public transport & wider range of nutritious food
SOCIOLOGIST: What did McKeown say about better food?
Better food and nutrition has increased the resistance to infection
SOCIOLOGIST: What did Harper say about smoking & diet?
Greatest drop in death rates result from reduction in people smoking
21st century -> obesity replaced smoking as a lifestyle epidemic (25% of all UK adults obese (2012)) however deaths from obesity have been kept low as a result of drug therapies
How has public health & welfare changed over time?
State intervention has increased -> A wide range of benefits available for a wide range of people e.g. pensions, single parent benefits
Introduction of the NHS -> much better post & antenatal healthcare for babies
How has health education changed over time?
There has been a growing awareness of nutrition & importance of health
Media reports e.g. swine flu (2010), salmonella
The National Institute of Clinical Excellence -> aims to provide national guidance on the benefits of exercise & balanced diet etc
How has working conditions changed overtime?
Advances in technology, e.g. safer factory equipment, has reduced health risks that people in the 19th century experienced
Shorter working hours, leisure time, earlier retirement age means work is less physically damaging
What are the implications of increased life expectancy & a decline in death & infant mortality rate?
An ageing population
How has the UK’s ageing population risen since 1971?
1971 -> 34.1 yrs
2013 -> 40.3 yrs
Estimation: 2037 -> 42.8yrs
What are the effects of an ageing population of family structures & individuals?
Increase in 1 person pensioner households (mostly women) - 12.5% of all households
‘Feminisation of later life’ - 2x women than men over the age of 75
Increase of elderly relatives potentially helping financially & with childcare (middle class)
Increase of elderly living on small pensions & savings means they need to be supported by younger relatives (financially & with care)
What are sone negative effects of an ageing population on family structures & households?
Chances for work promotions can fall (if an elderly family member needs care)
Emotional stress on the family
Increase in older cares e.g. 65yr olds caring for their 95yr old parents
Increase in the dependency ratio (decline in dependent children)
What are the impacts of an ageing population on childhood?
Closer relationships
Children can learn more history
Increase of funding & government policies centred towards older age groups e.g. the NHS
Changes to family structures e.g. extended/beanpole
Older parents
How does an ageing population have an effect on ageism?
Ageism increases
Ageism is a result of structured dependency -> excluding old people from paid work leaving them dependent
SOCIOLOGIST: What does Phillipson say about ageism?
The elderly are no use to capitalism anymore so the state don’t want to support them