birth rate

• The birth rate is defined as the number of live births per thousand per year.
• The overall trend of birth rate is decreasing.
• There was three baby booms occurred:

  • World War I
  • World War II
  • 1969 - Sexual liberation
• Total Fertility Rate is defined as the average number of children women will have during their fertile years
• Factors affecting this is:

  • Proportion of women of childbearing age (15-44)
  • How fertile and how many children women have
• The total fertility rate has decreased over time due to:

  • Contraception
  • Lower infant mortality rate
  • Change in women's position
  • Postponing children
• The birth rate has declined because = Changes in women's positions and contraception

  • Legal Equality
  • Change in attitude
  • Access to divorce
  • Birth control and contraception
• Legal equality has changed birth rate because:

  • Greater educational opportunity
  • Paid employment
  • Focused career
  • Options to ambition
  • Knowledge and access to contraception
• Change in attitude has changed birth rate because:

  • Smaller family sizes
  • Choosing to be childless
  • Putting career first and then having children
• Access to divorce has changed birth rate because:

  • Less likely to remarry
  • Easier to access divorce and cheaper
  • Children in broken marriages
• Birth control and contraception has affected birth rate:

  • Higher awareness to prevent pregnancy
  • Ability to access abortion
  • Stops accidental pregnancy
• The four reasons why birth rate has declined is:

  1. Change in women's position and contraception
  2. Decline in infant mortality rate
  3. Economic Liability
  4. Child centeredness
• A decline in an infant morality rate had lead to a decrease in birth rate as:

  
  

  Harper argues the decline in infant mortality rate has led to a decline in the birth rate as infants are more likely to survive so parents are less likely to have more children
• Five reasons why the infant mortality rate had declined is because:

  • Improved housing
  • Better nutrition
  • Better knowledge of hygiene
  • Improved services
  • Married women are no longer working
• Brass and Kabir have criticized the decreasing of infant mortality rate as they noticed that in urban areas the infant mortality rate remained higher for longer.
• Children are now an economic liability, they used to be an asset as they were sent to work.

  However laws and norms now mean they are a liability

  Laws = banning child labour and compulsory schooling

  Norms = children now expect material items
• Child centeredness has affected birth rate as there has been a shift from ' quantity to quality ' meaning parents now have less children and spend more emotion and money on the children they do have.
• There was a small boom in 2001 due to an increase in immigration as they may have different cultural norms of family sizes