From booklet

• What does demography study?

  Populations and their characteristics
• What was the UK population in 1901?

  37 million
• What is the projected UK population by 2035?

  73.2 million
• What primarily contributed to population growth until the 1980s?

  Natural change (more births than deaths)
• When did the number of births per year in the UK start to fall?

  1921
• What caused the steep rises in births around 1921 to 1923?

  Ending of World War I
• Why did births increase after World War II?

  Husbands returned from war
• What was a significant factor for low births after the 1960s?

  Introduction of contraception
• Why were births and deaths similar in 1941?

  Due to World War II
• What is projected to happen to the number of deaths in the coming decades?

  It is projected to increase
• What has happened to the birth rate in the UK since 2001?

  It has had a minimal increase
• How is the birth rate defined?

  Live births per thousand of the population
• What is the total fertility rate (TFR)?

  Average number of children per woman
• What was the peak TFR in the UK during the baby boom?

  2.95 per woman
• What trend is observed regarding women and childbearing?

  More women are remaining childless
• What is the average age for giving birth now?

  30 years old
• What is a baby boom?

  A significant rise in the number of births
• When did the last baby boom occur in the UK?

  During the 1960s
• What is predicted to happen due to the Covid-19 pandemic?

  Another baby boom may occur
• What do experts argue about births after stressful events?

  They often decline after such events
• What are the reasons for the decline in the birth rate?

  • Changes in women’s position
  • Decline in infant mortality rate
  • Children are now economic liabilities
  • Child-centredness
• What major changes occurred in women's status in the 20th century?

  Legal equality, education, paid employment
• What did Harper (2012) identify as the most important reason for the fall in birth rates?

  Education of women
• What is the infant mortality rate (IMR)?

  Infants dying before their first birthday
• How does a low IMR affect the birth rate?

  Leads to a lower birth rate
• What factors contributed to the decline in IMR in the UK?

  Better housing, nutrition, and medical care
• What medical advancements helped reduce IMR in the 1950s?

  Mass immunization and antibiotics
• How have children changed from economic assets to liabilities?

  Due to laws and changing norms
• What does child-centredness refer to?

  Focus on quality of childhood over quantity
• What is the dependency ratio?

  Relationship between working and dependent populations
• How does a declining birth rate affect the dependency ratio?

  It reduces the number of dependents
• What was the death rate in the UK in 1900?

  19 per thousand
• What is the death rate defined as?

  Number of deaths per thousand of the population
• What was the death rate in the UK by 2012?

  8.9 per thousand
• What did McKeown (1972) attribute to the reduction in death rates?

  Improved nutrition
• What medical improvements occurred after the 1950s?

  Antibiotics and improved medical knowledge
• What lifestyle change contributed to the decline in death rates?

  Reduced smoking rates
• What public health measures were implemented in the 20th century?

  Improved housing and sanitation
• What is life expectancy?

  Average expected lifespan of a person
• How much has life expectancy increased over the past two centuries?

  About two years per decade