Topic 4: Demography Flashcards
What is demography?
The study of populations and their characteristics is called demography. These characteristics include:
Factors that affect demography:
What are factors affect demography? e.g. size
Is the population large or small, growing or declining?
Factors that affect demography:
What are factors affect demography? e.g. age
Is the average age of the population rising or falling?
Factors that affect demography:
What are factors affect demography? e.g. births
How many babies are born.
Factors that affect demography:
What are factors affect demography? e.g. death
How many people die.
Factors that affect demography:
What are factors affect demography? e.g. immigration
How many people enter the country from elsewhere.
Factors that affect demography:
What are factors affect demography? e.g. emigration
How many people leave the country to live elsewhere.
Key word?
What does the birth rate mean?
The number of live births per thousand of the population per year.
Birth rate:
What has the overall birth rate been like in the UK?
The number of births affects population size e.g. the more babies that are being more, the bigger the population size
Sociologists use the birth rate to measure births. Overall there has been a long-term decline in the number of births since 1900. In that year, England and Wales had a birth rate of 28.7, but by 2014 it had fallen to an estimated 12.2.
Birth rate:
What fluctuations have their been in the birth rate in the UK?
There were three baby booms in the 20th century: after World War I, World War II, and in the 1960s.
The birth rate then dropped in the 1970s, rose in the 1980s, and fell again after the early 1990s, with some increase since 2001.
Key word:
What does the total fertility rate mean?
The average number of children women will have during their fertile years (late teens to early 30s)
The total fertility rate:
What has the total fertility rate been like in the UK?
The UK’s fertility rate has risen from 1.63 in 2001 to 1.83 in 2014, but is still much lower than in 1964.
This is due to more women remaining childless and delaying childbirth, with the average age for having children now 30.
Fertility rates for women in their 30s and 40s have increased, but older women tend to have fewer children.
Reasons for the decline in the birth rate:
What are the reasons for the decline in birth rate?
Change in the position of women
Decline in infant mortality
Children being an economic liability (expensive too look after)
Child-centeredness
Reasons for the decline in the birth rate:
How has the change in the position of women in society led to the decline in the birth rate? (use sociologist) Change in the position of women
Equal Pay Act 1970 - meant that women had to be payed the same amount as men for doing the same job
Sex Discrimination Act 1975 - Discriminating based on the sex was made illegal
BOTH OF THE LAWS ALLOW WOMEN TO BE EQUAL TO MEN. FEEL EMPOWERED TO WORK. DON’T ONLY HAVE TO THE ROLE OF THE HOMEMAKER
Harper (2012) argues that women’s education is a key reason for the decline in birth rates. Educated women are more likely to delay or forgo having children to focus on careers, leading to an increase in childless women. By 2012, one in five women aged 45 was childless, double the number from 25 years earlier.
Harper also explains that when low fertility persists for more than one generation, cultural norms shift, making smaller families the norm. As a result, larger families begin to be viewed as unusual or less socially acceptable.
Key word:
What is the infant mortality rate?
The infant mortality rate (IMR) measures the number of infants who die before their first birthday, expressed per thousand live births each year.
Reasons for the decline in death rate:
How has the decline in infant mortality lead to the decline of the birth rate? (use sociologist)
Harper argues that a decline in the infant mortality rate (IMR) leads to a lower birth rate. When infant deaths were high, parents had more children to replace those lost, increasing the birth rate. However, as infant survival rates improved, parents had fewer children.
Factors like better housing, sanitation, and medical advancements, such as immunisation, antibiotics, and improved maternity care, contributed to the reduction in the IMR from the 1950s onward.
Reasons for the decline in the birth rate
How did children becoming an economic liability lead to the decline in the birth rate? (use sociologist)
Until the late 19th century, children were seen as economic assets, often working from a young age to contribute financially.
Restricting when children can work, such as through the Education Act 1996, which prevents children from working during school hours, and the Raising of the School Leaving Age (ROSLA) in 2016, which extended the age at which young people can leave school, has resulted in children being economically dependent on their parents for a longer period.
Changing expectations of what children should receive materially has also increased the cost of raising them. As a result, parents are now less likely or willing to have large families due to these financial pressures leading to a decline in the birth rate.
Reasons for the decline in the birth rate:
How does the world becoming more child centred lead to the decline in the birth rate?
The growing focus on children in both families and society has made childhood seen as a highly important stage in life.
This shift has led to a change in family size, with parents having fewer children but investing more time, attention, and resources in each child.
Due to increased investments in children’s education, health, and well-being, families are having fewer children.
Parents now focus on providing quality care and resources for a smaller number of children. This is reflected in the growing trend of purchasing high-quality goods and services tailored to children’s needs, such as toys, clothing, and technology, emphasizing the value of quality over quantity.
Effects of changes in fertility:
What factors does changes in fertility impact?
The family, the dependency ratio, and public services and policies.
Effects in the change of fertility
How does changes in the fertility impact the family?
Smaller families make it easier for women to work, contributing to the rise of dual-earner couples (both partners work) in professional families.
However, family size isn’t the only factor, as wealthier couples can afford larger families and still manage full-time work by paying for childcare therefore showing how wealth is also a contributing factor to the family size as wealthier couples can afford to have children.
Key word :
What is the dependency ratio?
The relationship between the size of the working or productive part of the population and the size of the non-working or dependent part of the population.
Effects on the change in fertility:
How does changes in fertility affect the dependency ratio?
Falling birth rates reduce the “burden of dependency” on the working population, as fewer children mean fewer dependents.
However, in the long run, fewer babies will lead to a smaller working population, potentially increasing the dependency burden.
Fewer children may lead to lonelier childhoods with fewer siblings and less advocacy for children’s needs, but it could also result in children being more valued.
Effects of the change in fertility:
How does the changes in fertility affect public services and policies?
A lower birth rate can reduce the demand for public services like schools and child health services, and affect costs related to maternity and paternity leave and housing.
However, political decisions can influence these outcomes, such as choosing to reduce class sizes instead of cutting schools.
Additionally, fewer births contribute to an ageing population, with more older people relative to younger people.
Key word:
What is the death rate?
The death rate is the number of deaths per thousand of the population per year.