Demography

• how can the population be characterised?

  (1) size (2) age structure (3) births (4) deaths (5) immigration (6) emigration
• what factors directly influence population size?

  (1) birth rates (2) death rates (3) immigration (4) emigration
• what are birth rates?

  the number of live births per thousand of the population born per year
• how has the birth rate changed from 1901 to 2020?

  in 1901 it was 28.7 bit decreased to 11.4 in 2020
• what is the total fertility rate?

  the average number of children a woman will have in her fertile years
• how has the total fertility rate changed over the years in the UK?

  risen in recent years but it is still much lower than in the past from an all time low of 1.58 in 2020
• what are the reasons for the decline in birth rates?

  (1) changes in the position of women (2) decline in the infant mortality rate (3) children have become an economic liability (4) child-centredness
• what are the changes in the position of women?

  (1) increased women in paid work (2) easier access to divorce (3) access to abortion and contraception
• what are the reasons for the decline in the infant mortality rate?

  (1) better sanitation (2) improved housing (3) better nutrition (4) children's health and welfare
• why have children become an economic liability?

  (1) ban on child labour (2) cost of living has significantly increased
• how has child-centredness affected the decline in birth rates?

  it is socially constructed and parents have less children and give them more attention
• what are the effects of changes in fertility?

  (1) the family (2) the dependency ratio (3) public services and policies (4) an ageing population
• how has the family affected the changes in fertility?

  smaller families mean women are more likely to do paid work and create a 'dual earner'
• what is the dependency ratio?

  the relationship between the size of the working population and the non-working population
• how has the dependency ratio affected the changes in fertility?

  fertility rate falling means fewer children and childhood becomes lonelier which leads to less schools/maternity hospitals and a reduction in the 'dependency burden' but this leads to fewer working adults
• how has public services and policies affected the changes in fertility?

  a lower birth rate means fewer schools and maternity services needed which affects the cost of maternity and paternity leave and the types of housing that need to be built
• how has an ageing population affected the changes in fertility?

  means the average age of the population is rising and there is more old people than young meaning there are less working adults
• what are death rates?

  the number of deaths per 1000 of the population per year
• how has the death rate changed from 1900 to 2012?

  in 1900 it was 19 but in 2012 it decreased to 8.9
• why have death rates fallen?

  (1) improved nutrition (2) better healthcare (3) reduction in family size (4) better medical equipment (5) decline in dangerous jobs (6) vaccinations (7) cleaner water (8) better sanitation
• how have nutrition made death rates fall?

  it has increased resistance to infection and increased survival chances
• how has medical improvements made death rates fall?

  vaccinations , antibiotics , blood transfusion and improved maternity services
• how has smoking lowered death rates?

  there are less people smoking so less people dying of lung or heart issues or obesity
• what is an issue with the ageing population?

  the average age of the UK population is rising. In 1971 it was 34.1 years but by 2020 it was 40.4 and by 2037 it is projected to be 42.8
• what is infantillisation?

  treating someone as a child or in a way in which denies their maturity in age or experience
• what is positive discrimination?

  giving better treatment to those who normally receive negative discrimination to correct the imbalance
• what is grey pound?

  money that older people as a group have available to spend
• what is care home abuse?

  hitting , slapping , pushing , kicking , inappropriate restraint , misuse of medication towards people in care homes
• what are the solutions to an ageing population?

  (1) housing policies (2) people have to pay more for pensions (3) future proof their incomes (4) voluntary work
• what solutions does Hirsch suggest for an ageing population?

  (1) financing a longer old age can be done through paying more from savings and in tax whilst working (2) raising the retirement age (3) encouraging older people to 'trade down' e.g. bedroom tax
• what is ageism a result of?

  structured dependency
• what affect does the old age being excluded from paid work have?

  they are economically dependent on their families or the state
• what does compulsory retirement mean for the old age?

  that they are stigmatised
• what does Marxist Phillipson argue about the old age?

  the old are of no use to capitalism because they are no longer productive
• what trends do postmodernists say have happened?

  (1) children dressing in adult styles (2) early retirement (3) later marriage
• what inequalities does Pilcher say there are amongst older people?

  class and gender
• how is class an inequality amongst the older population?

  middle class have better occupational pensions and greater savings from higher salaries and poorer old people have a shorter life expectancy and suffer more infirmity
• how is gender an inequality amongst the older population?

  women's lower earnings and career breaks as carers mean lower pensions
• what is immigration?

  movement into an area
• what is emigration?

  movement out of an area