Demographic Trends

• What had happened to the UK population?

  It is rising, Until the 1960s it was rising due to natural cause and today it is rising due to Net Migration
• (reasons for changes in patterns of death rate, infant mortality rate and increased life expectancy) Improved hygiene, sanitation and medicine

  Public hygiene have improved, with the construction of public sewer systems and more clean running water. (infections were more spread through water and food) MCKEOWN argued that these improvements coupled with a steady rise in living standards was more important than medical advances such as vaccines etc
• (reasons for changes in patterns of death rate, infant mortality rate and increased life expectancy) higher living standards

  Higher wages = better food, more eminities and appliances in the home and more improved house conditions with less damp, toilets, and running hot water. Also improved transportation and food technology, a wider range of more nutritious food is available - more affordable fresh fruit and vegetables all year around
• (reasons for changes in patterns of death rate, infant mortality rate and increased life expectancy) Public health and welfare

  Steep rise in the welfare state. NHS provides free healthcare especially for mothers and babies. Other services are pensions social workers and residential care homes
• (reasons for changes in patterns of death rate, infant mortality rate and increased life expectancy) Health Education

  Growing awareness of nutrition and its importance to health. Led to a much better informed public Who demand better hygiene and public health. Websites provide guidance on the prevention and treatment of ill health and there is increasing awareness of the benefits of exercise, eating well etc
• (reasons for changes in patterns of death rate, infant mortality rate and increased life expectancy) Improved working conditions

  Technology has taken over some of the more aduous health damaging tasks and factory machinery is often safer that it was 100 years ago. higher standards of health and safety at work, shorter life working hours and more leisure time have all made physically less demanding and therefore reduced risks to health
• How does lower deaths rates affect Family structure?

  • more extended families
  • more beanpole families
  • more divorce = people have more time to test out relationships
• How does lower deaths rates affect Gender roles ?

  • women may become carers for grandparents as they’re living longer
  • grandparents do childcare
• How does lower deaths rates affect Childhood experiences ?

  • long lasting relationships with grandparents so they may get more emotional and financial support
  • happier childhood
  • more innocence
• How does infant mortality rates affect Family structure?

  • smaller families (some parents done need as many children to ensure they survive)
  • more child centred families
  • more nuclear families
• How does infant mortality rates affect Gender roles?

  • more equal parenting
  • mothers may work more
  • fathers may take more paternal roles because they don’t need to out and earn to pay medical bills
  • dual burden / triple shift
• How does infant mortality rates affect Childhood experiences?

  • childhood is longer and they experience the golden age (pilcher)
  • more child centred
  • fewer children = more pressure from parents to succeed
• How does increased life expectancy affect family structure?

  • grandparents become more closer with the family
  • more divorce, SPF, cohabitation, less marriages
  • older family members
• How does increased life expectancy affect Gender roles?

  • mothers may work more as they have informal childcare from older family
  • more equal roles
  • women higher life expectancy so work more
• How does increased life expectancy affect Childhood experiences?

  • grow up with grandparents so more memories
  • more pressure to choose a career to set them up for when they are older
• How does increased life expectancy affect Social policy ?

  • healthcare costs
  • labour laws
  • adult social care
  • council housing
  • minimum Wage laws
• How does lower infant mortality rates affect Social policies

  • NHS
  • maternity
  • abortion policies
  • child benefit
• How does lower death rate affect social policy ?

  • changes in tobacco laws
  • extending the retirement age
• What is meant by the aging population?

  Increase in the proportion of elderly people in a population.
• Negative Consequences of an aging population

  • Dependancy ratio: if elderly relatives are poor due to inadequate savings and pensions their family have to support them leading to financial hardship as people have to support themselves too. OR they may get support from the state
  • May be emotional strain and overcrowding if an elderly relative moves in with their children’s family. Might cause conflict between couples or between children aswell as increasing the costs
  • older people consume larger proportions of public services espefially the NHS
• Positive consequences of the aging population;

  • can help with childcare and babysitting and maybe financially with many families in Britain having both partners in paid employment
  • Beanpole and extended families increasing
  • Ross et al argued that the relationship between grandparents and their grandchildren has become significant because grandparents play a major role in economic maintenance and primary socialisation
  • they boost he economy cuz they have more disposable income than before
  • able to influence the social policy since parties need to ensure that they appeal to them by offering policies that they will vote for
• What are the solutions of the ageing population?

  • increasing tax or paying more from our saving
  • increasing retirement age
  • changes in housing policy to encourage older people to trade down to smaller houses. Would release the wealth to improve living standards to free up housing resources for the younger generations
• how is contraception reason for the decline in the birth rate and fertility rate for smaller families?

  more effective safer and cheaper methods of birth control have been developed over the last century and society’s attitudes to the use of contraception has been accepted

  Availability of safe and legal abortion has also helped in terminating unwanted pregnancies
• How is the rising cost of having children a reason for the decline in birth rate, fertility rate and average family sizes?

  research by the insurance company AVIVA in 2011 suggested that the average size of the British family is declining because of the costs of bringing up children. When asked, 58% parents said they they wouldn’t have another child because of the costs. The average cost of raising a child till 21 is £271 000
• How is the changing position of women a reason for the decline in birth rate, fertility rate and average family sizes?

  Sue Sharpe found that the priorities of girls in the 1990s have changed from 1970s. In 1970s girls wanted to settle down and have children, whereas in 1990s goels wanted a career, with a job etc
• How is the declining infant mortality rate a reason for the decline in birth rate, fertility rate and average family sizes?

  Until the 1940s, the absence of the welfare state meant that many parents relied on their children to care for them in their old age. However although more babies were surviving infancy, it was still uncertain whether they would outlive their parents.

  parents therefore had more children to safeguard against some of them dying

  Additionally there are many agencies which exists to help the elderly today meaning children are less relied upon
• How is a geographically mobile workforce a reason for the decline in birth rate, fertility rate and average family sizes?

  Contemporary societies need a workforce that can move from one place to another at short notice, this may be a factor in encouraging smaller families because theyre easier to pack up and move elsewhere
• What were the main reasons for immigration to the UK for in 2011?

  formal study, work related and family reasons
• What are the patterns of migration in the UK?

  Upto 1930, net migration showed a net loss of population, with people leaving the UK each year than entering it. In the period between 1930-1960 immigration has exceeded emigration, more people have entered the UK

  in the 20th century there were 2 peak periods of immigration

  • 1930-1945s refugees fled to Britain to escape the Nazi’s
  • 1950s-1960 widespread immigration from Carribeans, Indians, Bangladeshis etc
• What is the effect of migration?

  Increases the dependency ratio, immigrant women tend to have higher fertility rates which contributes to higher dependancy ratio by adding more children to the population

  BUT it may reduce it because these immigrants go straight into work
• What is meant by the dependancy ratio?

  The proportion of the population that is dependent on the welfare state in comparison with the proportion of the population in employment.

  the number of dependents on the state (ages 0-14 years old and 65+ year olds) compared to the total population.
• What is Globalisation?

  Idea that barriers between societies are disappearing and people are becoming incressingly interconnected
• (Trends in globalisation) Acceleration

  Speeding up the rate of migration. For Eg; ONS said that the number of international migrates was 272 million in 2019, 51 million more than 2010
• (Trends in globalisation) Differentiation

  Migration now more diverse – permanent, temporary, students, spouses, refugees. Increased super-diversity (Vertovec) – migrants differ by legal status, culture, class. Cohen: citizens (full rights), denizens (privileged), helots (exploited workers). Migration global, not just ex-colonies.
• (Trends in globalisation) the feminisation of migration

  Nearly half of global migrants now female – globalisation of gender division of labour. Women from poor countries fill care, domestic, sex work roles in the West (Ehrenreich & Hochschild). Driven by: rise in service jobs, western women working, men avoiding domestic work, lack of state childcare. Shutes: 40% of UK adult care nurses are migrants. Emotional labour transferred – e.g. nannies leave own kids behind. Also includes mail-order brides, trafficked sex workers.
• (the politicisation of migration) Assimilation

  Assimilation = early policy expecting migrants to adopt host culture.

  Criticised by Eriksen – transnational migrants with hybrid identities often resist losing their own culture or belonging to one nation only.
• (the politicisation of migration) multiculturalism

  Allows migrants to keep their culture, but often only the surface-level parts. Eriksen:

  • Shallow diversity (e.g. food like chicken tikka masala) = accepted.

  • Deep diversity (e.g. veiling, arranged marriage) = often rejected.

  Critics say schools focus on fun bits of culture (“samosas, saris, steel bands”) but ignore real issues like racism.
• How do decreasing death rates affect family diversity?

  • Rise of beanpole families (Brannen): families with fewer children but more surviving generations (grandparents, great-grandparents).
  • More extended family involvement—grandparents live longer and support child-rearing or household income.
• How do decreasing death rates affect childhood?

  • More intergenerational contact—children may grow up with close relationships with grandparents.
  • Longer dependency period: elderly relatives may become caregivers, prolonging a protected, supervised childhood.
• How do declining birth rates affect family diversity?

  • Increase in dual-earner nuclear families (Young and Willmott’s symmetrical family), as parents can work and raise fewer children.
  • Rise in childless couples or voluntarily childfree families, reflecting choice and individualisation (Giddens).