CHANGE IN THE BIRTH RATE

some stats

• There has been a long term decline in the number of births since 1900. It has fallen from 28.7 in that year, to 12.2 by 2014.

Reason for decline, Changes in the position of women

Feminists argue that women are now less inclined to have ambitions to be a housewife and mother, and instead focus on a career and financial independence. 

Since the 1950s there has been a significant increase in the number of women in paid employment. The proportion of women in employment has risen from 53% in 1959 to 67% in 2013

legal changes such as Equal Pay Act & the Sex Discrimination Act, which has enabled women to complete with men for jobs on merit, rather than gender.

Access to abortion and reliable contraceptives

Abortion Act 1967, access to abortion has been made easier and is available confidentially on the NHS. In addition women have access to free, reliable contraceptives through the NHS such as the contraceptive pill. 

sex education aswell

Decline in the infant mortality rate

The fall in the infant mortality rate (IMR) leads to a fall in the birth rate. This is because, if many infants die, parents have more children to replace those they have lost, thereby increasing the birth rate. By contrast, if infants survive, parents will have fewer of them. In 1900, 15% of babies died within their first year in the UK, which is higher than less developed countries today.

During the first half of the 20^th century, the UK’s IMR began to fall, and by 1950 the UK’s IMR and fallen to 30 and by 2012 it stood at 5 – barely one fortieth of its original 1900 figure.

1. Children are now an economic liability

his is mainly due to changes in the law, such as the banning of child labour, the introduction of compulsory schooling and the raising of the school leaving age. 

In addition, the social norms of society have changed and the family as well as society has become more ‘child-centred’. This has meant that families are about ‘quality’ rather than ‘quantity’

Fertility has declined

The total fertility rate (TFR) in the UK has risen in recent years, but it is still much lower than in the past. In 1964 the average number of children a woman had was 2.95, where as in 2001 is was at its lowest at 1.63, then it has risen to 1.83 in 2014.