Demography-Birth and Death Rates

• Birth rate= The total number of babies per thousand people born in a given year.
• Death Rate= The total number of deaths per thousand people in a given year.
• Infant mortality rate= The total number of children who die before their first birthday per thousand live births in a given year.
• Child-centeredness = The way in which society and the family has become more focused on the needs of the child rather than the needs of the adult.
• Economic liability = Children are a net-drain on their parent's income and produce no goods or services of value in return.
• Birth rates have fallen over time, but tend to fluctuate.
• Decline in the IMR

  • If fewer children die then parents won't have more children to replace those they lost; a fall in the IMF leads to a fall in birth rates and vice versa.
  • Better nutritional information, improved housing and sanitation, improvements in hygiene, medicine and technology, child welfare provisions and natal and anti-natal clinics have all contributed.
• Explanations for the changes in death rates

  • Improved nutrition
  • Medical improvements
  • smoking and lifestyle choices
  • Social policies and public health measures
• Improved nutrition

  • McKeown(1972) argues improved nutrition accounts for a reduction in fifty percent of the death rates.
  • Better nutrition improves health and quality of life, and increases the likelihood of survival from illnesses and disease.
• Medical Improvements

  • Antibiotics, immunisation and vaccinations, maternity services, blood transfusions, improved medication etc.
• Smoking and lifestyle choices

  • The falling rate of the number of people smoking has been a key factor in the falling death rate.
  • Obesity, however, has now replaces smoking as the primary health concern and main lifestyle epidemic.
  • Although obesity has increased dramatically deaths from obesity remain relatively low.
• Social policies and public health measures

  • Improvements in social housing, clean Air Act 1956, improved drinking water, pasteurisation of milk and food adulteration have all contributed.
  • Social changes:
  • Decline of dangerous manual labour occupations.
  • Smaller family sizes reduces transmission of infections.
  • Higher incomes allow for better quality of life.