birth rates

definitions

the birth rate is defined as the number of births per 1,000 of the population each year

the general fertility rate is defined as the number of l,000 women of child-bearing age 15-44 per year

the total fertility rate is defined as the average number of children a woman will have during their child-bearing years

UK trends

since 1900, the birth rate, the general fertility rate and the total fertility rate have all been declining, resulting in smaller families

there have been a number of periodic increases in the birth rate in the UK known as baby booms

baby booms

occurred after: 2 world wars as couples started families following separation

in the 1960s as living standards rose

in the 2000s as women who had delayed having children until they were older began having families

career women

more women are choosing to pursue their own careers rather than raising children, limiting the number of children they can have or waiting until they are older and have established a career

contraception

now more effective, safer and cheaper and there is access to safe and legal abortions since 1967

financial responsibilities

since being barred from employment in the 19th century, children have become an economic liability as they can no longer contribute to the family income

they also need supporting during many years of compulsory education

infant mortality

the declining infant mortality rate means that more children are living beyond the age of 5, so parents don’t need to have more children in the hope that some will survive

changing values

society has become more child-centred, meaning that parents can spend more time with fewer children

the introduction of the welfare state means that parents no longer require children to care for them in their old age

individualisation

the need for a geographically mobile workforce has led to smaller families that can be moved easily from one part of the country to another in pursuit of work

changing values and the growth of individualisation means that couples are becoming reluctant to sacrifice their way of life in order to have children

family structure

as women are more likely to be in full-time employment, dual income or symmetrical families become more common

dependency ratio

a shift in the dependency ratio

fewer people are entering the workforce while more people are retiring, leading to higher levels of taxation on the working population to support the retired majority and a rise in the retirement age so that people work for longer

public spending

less spending on public services and policies for children, so fewer schools, less spending on child benefits and less spending on healthcare