demography

• What is meant by the term birth rate?


  Number of live births per 1000 of population per year
• What is the overall trend in the birth rate since 1900?

  Decreased
• When were the three ‘baby booms’ in the 20th Century?

  WWI, WWII, 1960s
• What is meant by the term total fertility rate?


  Average number of children women will have during their fertile years (15-44)
• What has been the overall trend in the TFR since 1900?

  Decreased
• What are three changes in the position of women during the 20th Century?

  • Vote
  • Increased education
  • Paid employment
  • Changing attitudes towards women
  • Divorce access
  • Abortion
  • Contraception
• What did Harper (2012) say was the most important change affecting birth rate & TFR?


  Education – changed mindset, family planning, alternate lifestyles, delayed childbearing, career pursuit
• In 2012 what proportion of women aged 45 were childless?

  1/5
• What is the infant mortality rate?


  Number of infants who die before their first birthday, per 1000 babies born alive per year
• How does the IMR affect the birth rate?


  If many infants die parents have more children to replace those lost, if they survive they have fewer
• What was the IMR in the UK in 1900?


  154
• What are three reasons for the fall in IMR?

  • Improved housing & sanitation
  • Better nutrition
  • Better hygiene
  • Improved prenatal services
  • Immunisation
  • NHS
• What was the IMR in the UK in 2012?


  4
• In what way have children become an economic liability?

  Laws (schooling, labour), changing norms (material expectations)
• Why has the birth rate increased in the UK since 2001?


  Immigration
• What impact has smaller families had on family life?

  Women free to go out to work – dual earners
• What is the dependency ratio?

  Relationship between the size of the working or productive part of the population & size of non-working or dependent part of the population
• What impact does a lower birth rate have on public services?


  Fewer schools, maternity, child services
• What is the death rate?


  Number of deaths per 1000 of population per year
• What is the trend in the death rate since 1900?


  Fallen (except for war years)
• What reason did Tranter (1996) give for the change in death rate?


  Reduction in infectious diseases
• What are ‘diseases of affluence’?

  Wealth diseases – heart disease, cancer
• What reason did McKeown (1972) give for changes in the death rate?


  Improved nutrition
• What were the main improvements in medicine that affected changes in death rate?


  Antibiotics, immunisation, blood transfusions, NHS, maternity, medication, bypass surgery, transplants
• What reason did Harper give for the change in the death rate?

  Reduction in people smoking
• What public health measures affected the death rate?


  Improved housing, purer drinking water, clean air act, food laws
• What is meant by life expectancy?


  How long on average a person born in a given year can expect to live
• What was life expectancy in England if born in 1900?

  Males – 50, females 57
• What is the life expectancy in England if born in 2013?


  Males 90.7, females 94
• What did Walker (2011) say about life expectancy?


  Those in poorest areas of England die on average 7 years earlier than those in richest areas
• What is the ageing population?


  Average age is getting older
• In what year did the number of people over 65 equal the number under 15?

  2014
• What three factors have caused the ageing population?


  Increasing life expectancy, declining infant mortality, declining fertility
• What impact will an ageing population have on public services?


  Increased health care cost, housing, transport, care
• What proportion of households are one-person pensioner households?

  1/8
• What effect does the ageing population have on the dependency ratio?


  Dependency ratio increases puts greater burden on working population
• How is ageism the result of ‘structured dependency’?


  The old are excluded from paid work making them economically dependent on their family or the state

  Their status is defined by their role in production
• What two features of postmodern society undermine old age as a stigmatised life stage?

  Media (positive portrayals of elderly) & emphasis on surface features (anti-ageing allows old to have different identity)
• How does class affect the experience of ageing?

  Middle class have pensions & savings, poorer have worse health outcomes
• According to Hirsch what policies need to change to tackle the problems posed by an ageing population?

  Financing old age, housing (free up big houses), retirement age