Demography - Deaths

Question 1

death rate - def

Answer 1

the number of deaths per 1,000 of the population per year

Question 2

decline in death rate

TRANTER

Answer 2

over 3/4 of the decline from 1870 - 1970 was due to fall of diseases

e.g TB / small pox

Question 3

decline in death rate

social factors (5)

Answer 3

1. improved nutrition
2. medical improvements
3. smoking and diet
4. public health measures
5. other social changes

Question 4

decline in death rate

improved nutrition

MCKEOWN

Answer 4

improved nutrition responsible for 1/2 reduction in death rates especially dor reduction in TB

• doesn’t explain why females who had a smaller share of food lived longer

Question 5

decline in death rate

medical improvements

Answer 5

• advances in introduction of anti biotics / immunisation
• NHS set up in 1948
• greater knowledge

Question 6

decline in death rate

smoking and diet

HARPER

Answer 6

HARPER – greatest reduction due to less people smoking / sugesting we are moving to an american health culture with ( long life span through medication)

• howeber obestity has replaced smoking but deaths remain low due to medication

Question 7

decline in death rate

Public health measures

Answer 7

20th century laws past
* improved housing
* purer wayer
* sugar axes
* improved sewage disposes

Question 8

decline in death rate

other social changes

Answer 8

• decline of dangerous occupations
• smaller families
• higher income - healthier lifestlye

Question 9

what is life expectancy ?

Answer 9

refers to how long on aberage a person born in a given year can expect to live

Question 10

decline in death rate

gender / reigonal differences

Answer 10

• women live longer
• north has lower life expectancy
• WC manual jobs 3x more likely to die before 65

Question 11

what is the ageing population?

Answer 11

Avergage age of the UK is rising with more people 65+ than to those uner 18

Question 12

3 causes of an ageing population

Answer 12

1. increasing life expectancy
2. declining infant mortality
3. declining fertility

Question 13

Effects of ageing populaiton ( 4)

Answer 13

2. 1 person pension household
3. dependency ratio
4. ageism
5. Bean pole families ( extended families)
6. Increase in tax / national insurance to fund services - public services

Question 14

ageism

public services

Answer 14

• older people consume more healthcare / services
• changes to policies of housing / transport needing to be developed

Question 15

ageism

1 person pensioner household

Answer 15

accountd for 12.5% of all households

Question 16

ageism

ageism - def

Answer 16

the stereotypes / prejudice and discrimination towards others baed on age

Question 17

What is the bean pole family?

Answer 17

Bean pole family - A particular type of extended family -
BRANNEN describes it as ‘long and thin’
Extended vertically - through three or more generations
But is not extended horizontally - no aunts / uncles / cousins

Question 18

Why has the bean pole family increased?

Answer 18

• One reason is increased life expectancy - meaning more grandparents are surviving
• Another reason for the increase is smaller family sizes - meaning people have fewer siblings → fewer horizontal ties

Question 19

where did ageism come from?

Answer 19

It’s argued that ageism is the product of ‘structured dependency’. As a result of being excluded from the workplace, the elderly are largely dependent upon the working population.

Our identity is massively shaped by our employment. Those excluded from paid work are labelled as deviant and are in possession of a stigmatised identity.

In modern society, our life is structured into a series of distinct stages: childhood, adulthood and old-age. Once you hit these stages, you have specific roles to fulfil. The old are excluded from a role in the labour force.

Question 20

ageism

modern societal view - 20th century

Answer 20

• many sociologists argue it developed due to structured dependency
• old are excluded from production making them economically dependent - therefore in a society where roles based on status in production

**old are valued as lazy and powerless **

Question 21

ageism

post modern society

Answer 21

• Postmodernist sociologists argue → the fixed orderly stages of the life course have broken down → boundaries in life stages are blurred → individuals have more freedom

→ consumption not production becomes the focus of society - now defined by what you consume
→ HUNT - argues this means that we are able to choose lifestyle and identity regardless of age.

• Trends begin to break down stereotypes of modern society → 2 features of postmodern
• The centrality of the media - positive aspects of elderly life represented
  Emphasis on surface features - body becomes a surface we can write out identity with anti - ageing products allowing old to write their own identity.

Question 22

criticism of post modern view

PILCHER

Answer 22

argues ineuqalities such as class and gender remain important with many relating to previous occupation

Question 23

inequalities amongst the old

1. class
2. Gender

Answer 23

1. MC have better occupational pensions and greater savings from these high salaries - poorer older people unable to keep these youthful identity
2. women’s lower earnings and career breaks means lower pensions → are also vulnerable to ageist sexist stereotyping.

Question 24

criticism of post modernists

Answer 24

Post modernists understate the importance of these inequalities → these play a role in shaping the experience of old age → restricting the freedom of elderly to choose an identity through this consumption.

Question 25

policy implications

Answer 25

HIRSCH → argues that a number of important social policies will need to change to tackle ageism.

• Main issue is finance a long period of old age → paying more from savings or working longer is needed
• Housing → encouraging old people to downsize to free up finance
  He also argues a cultural shift needs to occur in the attitudes to old people → old age is a social construct