Demographic trends and family life Flashcards
(19 cards)
Birth rate
The number of live births per 1000 of the population per year.
Fertility rate
The number of live births per 1000 women aged 15-44 per year.
Death rate
The number of deaths per 1000 of the population per year.
UK Population growth
Population has grown from 38 million in 1901 to 64 million in 2014. Slower growth rate as it was 1% per year between 1901 to 1911 and has fallen to 0.25 percent per year today.
Emigration
People leaving the country (e.g the UK) to live in another country
Immigration
People coming to live in a country (e.g the UK) from another country
What affects the population growth?
Number of births
Number of deaths
Immigration
Emigration
Births and immigration will increase the population while deaths and emigration will decrease it.
Reasons for population growth
Between the 1950’s and 1960’s the reason for a growth in population was due to natural change (more births than deaths) with natural change accounting for 98%.
Since the 1980’s Net migration (more immigration than emigration) was the reason for population growth. Cangiano (2014) estimates that net migration accounted for 54 percent of the increase of UK population between 1991 and 2012.
UK birth rate
Been in decline. 1901 there were 1,093,000 births but in 2013 there were only 698,512 babies born.
baby booms
Where the birth rate grew significantly, immediately after both wars and periods of 1957-1966 and 1986-1992.
Decline in fertility rates
Birth control - Contraceptive pill, became widley available in 1961 through the NHS gave women greater control over reproduction.
The feminisation of economy - More women working and taking on bigger roles in the economy. Meaning women would choose to have children later in life and to have fewer as they prioritise more there career and economic independance.
What effects have changes in birth and fertility rates had on family life in the UK?
- family size has declined. In 2013, 47% of nuclear families had one child, while only 14% of nuclear families had more than two children.
- significant decline in the number of women aged 24 or under who are having children. Increase in older mothers.
Women choosing not to have children
Family policy studies centre found that in 2000, one in five women aged 40 had not had children compared with one in ten in 1980.
Gillespie (2003) identifies two motivational factors for women choosing to not have children.
1) ‘pull factor’ - women want to be child free as it comes with more freedom and more disposable income within married couples.
2) ‘push factor’ - push away from motherhood as they see it as conflicting with their careers and leisure interests.
Death rate in the UK
The 20th century saw both growth in the UK population and also a steady rise in the number of deaths.
However a steady decline in the death rate in the past 60 years. E.g the period 1983-2013 saw a 13 percent fall. Only 576,000 deaths occurred in Britain in 2013, despite the population being at around 64 million.
Life expectancy Uk
1851 - life expectancy in England and Wales was 40 years for males and 44 years for females.
Male children born in 2013 will live for 78.7 years while females will live for around 82.6 years.
Reasons for fall in death rate and rise in life expectancy
1) rising wages improved living standard and lifted many out of poverty improving diet and nutrition.
2) free public health care such as the NHS, sick and elderly patients more cared for.
3) better housing and more housing for poor so less homeless.
Reasons why Britain is experiencing an ageing population
1) decline in death rate especially the infant mortality rate.
2) rise in life expectancy due to improved living standards and better healthcare.
3) the decline in the fertility rate and women choosing to have children later on in their lives.
Migration in the UK
In 2013 ONS reported that the UK population will grow by 9.6 million over the next 25 years. 57% of this being natural and 43% being due to migration.
Factors influencing migration
1) legislation and border controls - legal migration is affected by laws governing the rights of people to move to other countries.
2) Globalisation- Due to connections between different parts of the globe becoming more important. Rapid, cheap and safe transport systems have made it easier and more affordable to travel around the globe. Increasing migration around the world.
3) push factors - people may come to Britain in order to flee persecution, torture, war, poverty and so on.
4) pull factors - migrants are attracted by job opportunities or may migrate to study for educational qualifications at UK universities and schools.
