4.1 Fertility/Mortality factors

Question 1

Fertility social/cultural factors

Answer 1

~ ↑
1. Tradition:
- Many countries like africa have a cultural expectation for a woman to have many children for a large family. - Early marriages lead to early reproduction.

2. Religion:
   - Some encourage large families or reject the use of birth control (eg Islamism, Roman Catholics) ;;; increasingly less significant as ppl have become faithful in diff ways

~ ↓
3. Education: Increasing female literacy
- offers job prospects , leading women to prioritise career over marriage or motherhood and delay child birth
- Education on birth control and family planning, increasing use of contraception
- Increase in status of women encourages to challenge traditional expectations of large families

Question 2

Fertility economic factors

Answer 2

↑ LICs: View children as econ assets as they can work and look after parents in old age. Also, most of this work are on farms so children are cheap to feed, further encourages ppl to give birth.

↓ HICs: View children as financial burdens as costs of raising a child is high, which affects decisions to start or add to a family.

Lifestyle choices, like how one spends their incomes, also affect decision of having children

Question 3

Fertility environmental factor (+ eg)

Answer 3

Natural disasters ↑
eg 2004 Asian Tsunami
children died as they were physically weaker and less able to survive the impact of a tsunami ;;; observed 0.7 increase
Mothers who lost one or more children are likely to give birth to additional children to make up for the lost lives

Also, fertility is an important route to rebuilding population

Question 4

Fertility political factor (+egs, why)

Answer 4

Gov policies – in attempts to change fertility rates due to economic/strategic reasons

ANTI-NATALIST
Chinas one child policy (2.8 –> 1.6)

PRO-NATALIST
France offers tax breaks for larger families (↑ 0.1-0.2 /woman)

Question 5

Mortality social factor
(infant/child/maternal/total)

Answer 5

1. Education:
   - knowledge of primary healthcare and need for nutrition
   - better-educated communities → access to better advice from friends/family/professional medical help
2. Overcrowding: spread diseases
3. Inadequate Housing: Poor ventilation, lack of heating/cooling, and exposure to environmental hazards → respiratory illnesses, injuries
4. Homelessness: exposure, violence, malnutrition, lack of healthcare

Question 6

Mortality econ factors

Answer 6

High economic development:
gov invest in education/healthcare, leading to infrastructure developments, including High level medical care and neonatal facilities, thus better sanitation, water and diets

Jobs:
Mothers with paid jobs can afford better nutrition, diets and medicines

Question 7

Mortality environmental factor

Answer 7

LICs: extreme weather events –> food shortage –> starvation
poor sanitation (contaminated river) –> diseases

HICs: Better living conditions ensures quality and quantity of food supply
Safe water strategies

Question 8

Mortality political factor

Answer 8

Pensions for healthcare increase care for elderly and reduce DR