Families - Demography (Birth rate and Death rate)

Trend in Birth Rate

Decreased overall. In 1900, it was 29 per 1000, in the 1950’s, it was around 16 per 1000, in 2021 it was 10.

What do changes in birth rate reflect in society?

People having less children, later in life and living longer.

Reasons for falling birth rate - Changes in women’s position

Harper - Education is the main reason, change in mindset of girls and women

Contraception - More control over having children or not

Reasons for falling birth rate - Decline in infant mortality rate

Medical factors, better care and more advanced technology.

Reasons for falling birth rate - Children are now an economic liability

The provision of toys, days out, school trips. Before, children used to help economically by working, but now we live in childcentredness.

Reasons for falling birth rate - Childlessness

Careers have taken over as more important, children are expensive and a risk

Falling birth rate effect on dependency ratio

Having less children means workers can work more and not need to support them through their savings/taxes. However, leads to an ageing population, which puts more strain on dependency ratio.

Trend in Death Rate

Overall, the death rate is declining as healthcare improves.

Reasons for falling death rate - Improved nutrition

McKeown - Improved nutrition accounted for up to ½ of the reduction in death rate, due to better health as a result

Reasons for falling death rate - Medical improvements

Fewer deaths are from infectious diseases due to the availability of antibiotics and immunisations

Reasons for falling death rate - Smoking and Diet

Less people are smoking nowadays as it is less socially acceptable

Reasons for falling death rate - Public Health Measures, Greater public knowledge

Tranter - NHS was introduced in 1948, improving health, leading to a fall in infectious diseases and knowing how to contain them

Reasons for falling death rate - Decline in dangerous manual occupations

Less people are doing jobs involving manual labour, outsourced by other countries or done by machinery instead

Reasons for falling death rate - Smaller families

Infections don’t spread as easily, more care for family members.

Reasons for falling death rate - Lifestyle changes

Health is prioritised, less smoking, exercise for health

Reasons for falling death rate - Higher incomes

People have more money to invest in their health, eat more nutritiously, not living in poor housing. However, we do now have diseases of affluence e.g. Obesity (Tranter)