Topic 4 demography

Question 1

What does birth rate mean?

Answer 1

the number of live births per 1000 of population per year

Question 2

What does total fertility rate mean?

Answer 2

the average number of children women will have during theirfertile years

Question 3

What is the trend in birth rates?

Answer 3

• There have been fluctuations
• Baby booms after 2 world wars and in the 1960s
• Fell again in 1970s
• Rose again 1980s-90s
• Fell in 2001

Question 4

What is the trend in TFR?

Answer 4

1960s baby boom = 2.95 children per woman
2001 = 1.63 children per woman
2014 = 1.83
2020 = 1.56

TFR affects family size – the more children a woman has, the bigger the family

Question 5

births and about women

What 2 main changes have taken place?

Answer 5

1. More women are remaining childless now
2. Women are having children later in life

Question 6

women = childless and kids later in life

Reason for these changes 1. changes in womens position

Answer 6

• Harper 2012 = education of women is the most important reason for this decline. Women now have a changed mindset.
• having less kids, having them later, planning for other things in their future.
• shift in norms, smaller families become the norm

Question 7

Reason for these changes 2.Decline in IMR (Number of infants who die before 1 Y/O)

Answer 7

• This has fallen due to medical advancements, improved housing, sanitation
• if babies survive, parents will have less kids

Question 8

Reasons for the fall in birth rate 3. children as an economic liability

Answer 8

• 19th cent, children were seen as an economic asset
• now theyre seen as a liability
• laws banning child labour and compulsory schooling = children are economically dependent on parents for longer
• changing norms on children having a high standard of living

Question 9

Reasons for the fall in birth rate 4. Child centeredness

Answer 9

• There’s a shift in focus to the quality of childhoof
• parents now have fewer children but devote more attention and resources to them

Question 10

Effects of a falling birth rate 1. the family

Answer 10

1. Role of women
2. Domestic division of labour
3. Money and resources

Question 11

effects of a falling birth rate 2. the dependency ratio

Answer 11

• Relationship between the working population and the non-working, dependent population
• Earnings, taxes and savings of the working population must support the dependent
• Children are a large portion of this
• Less children = reduced burden of dependency on working population

Question 12

Effects of a falling birthrate 3. Public services and policies

Answer 12

• Schools and the education system
• Healthcare services
• Fewer schools and health services may be needed
• Less money spent on maternity and paternity leave
• Government can choose to reduce the number of schools or have smaller class sizes