lecture 2 Flashcards
what is demography?
the study of the size, structure, and distribution of human populations
(aging is major contributor to changes
what are the 2 reasons there are (relatively) more older people?
- increasing life expectancy
- declining fertility rates (more important)
what is the definition of life expectancy?
the average number of years a person is projected to live; given no dramatic change in causes for death happens
-calculated based on the # of current trends
-not the average age at the time of death
(demographic force of death rate)
why is the life expectancy increasing?
-better medical treatment
-better public health
-epidemiological transition
what is the epidemiological transition?
the replacement of infectious diseases by chronic degenerative diseases over time due to
-expanded public health and sanitation and/or
-changes in health behaviours
(review this in more depth for exam)
when do epidemiological transitions happen?
when in the process of economic development, the vast majority of the population gains reliable access to the basic materla necessities of life
what is fertility rates?
average number of LIVE births a women can be expected to have in her lifetime
-demographic force of birth rate
-relatively fewer babies and then fewer younger people
-an individual measure
what are 2 major historical trends in fertility rates affecting the aging structure?
- baby boom (1946-1964)
-explosion in fertility up to >3.5 children
-reverse in the trend of decreasing fertility - baby bust (after 1965)
-continuous drop in fertility rates
why are fertility rates declining?
- having a lot of children not a status/ economic advantage anymore
- women rights movement
- family planning techniques
what does birth rate mean?
number of live births per 10x women
(a population measure)
note*
lecture 2 slide 22
he didn’t read over each stage so probably not important- but read it over at least
what is the third demographic force?
immigration
but not an important factor contributing to current patterns of aging in Canada?
what is the dependency ratio equation?
(population age 0-19) + (population age 65+)
-divided by-
population age 20-64
[(youth + senior) divided by working age]
what is the old age dependency ratio?
the number of people age 65 and over divided by the population age 20 to 64
what is the youth dependency ratio?
the number of people age 0-19 divided by the population age 20-64
what is apocalyptic demography?
population aging = economic/ social crisis and even collapse
make it less apocalyptic by:
1. improvement in health
2. policy changes (increase age of retirement, different pension plans)
(look into this more)
what are 5 benefits of an older population?
- lower crime rates
- healthier lifestyle
- improving economy (spending the savings)
- keeper of traditions and language
- unpaid (hidden) contributions (helping family/ volunteering)
