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4.3 Demographic trends and family life - Coggle Diagram
4.3 Demographic trends and family life
the population of the uk
The rate of population change over time depends on four demographic factors birth rate the fertility rate the death rate and migration
Natural change was the main reason for population growth however since the 1980s it has been net migration
This rate has been punctuated by the number of baby booms, since 2001 the birth rate has gradually risen
Due to a genderquake in society woman no longer see childbearing as a priority this is due to things such as the feminization of the economy feminst ideas about the role of women changing and social policies such as the equal pay act and the equal opportunities act
During the 20th century childhood became commercialized meaning raising children became very expensive.
The rise in geographically mobile familles meant young women had less contact with influential extended family and kin
Beck and beck gernsheim- suggest that in the late capitalist society there are simply more choices available to women and they are choosing freedom and indepense over childbearing
Birth rates in the uk have been in decine for some time now with only 695.512 in 2013
Changes in fertility rates
There are two main reasons for the decline in fertility rate towards the end of the 20th century reliable birth control being made available in 1961 and the feminisation of the economy which has had a profound effect on women's attitudes to childbearing.
The changes in birth and fertility rates have had several effects on family life in the UK.families have declined in size there has been a significant decline in the amount of women under 24 having children decline in fertility rates being linked to the full time mother role some professional couples are extremely committed to their careers and focus on that first and finally mothers taking major responsibility for childcare and the upkeep of the home.
There has been a rise in fertility in recent years which is due to the increase in immigrants Coming to the UK
Voluntary childlessness
Haskim-voluntary childlessness has become a new lifestyle choice which could have only been brought about by the contraception revolution.
Gillespie-there are two motivational factors for this childlessness; women being attracted by the pull of being childfree and there may be a push away from motherhood.
This may have negative implications as child free women and couples reach old age, they have less social support and emotional ties in old age.
Childfree people fare better in marriage as they are more likely to be actively engaged with family and friends.
The death rate
Over the last 60 years there has been a steady decline in the death rate.
The decrease in death rates and therefore a rise in life expectancy is due to 6 main factors rising wages which have lifted many out of poverty, public health policy,provision of social housing for the poor maternity care services were improved, the introduction of the welfare state and the creation of the national health service (nhs) in 1948
Chambers(2012)- the elderly population in the uk is not a uniform group, the elderly are often stereotyped as part of a culture of decline which often isn't the case and the elderly are often interpreted as an economic lability to family members and the state.
There are three major reasons for Britain experiencing an ageing population the decline in death rate, the rise in life expectancy and the decline in fertility rate
Effects of aging population on family and households
aging population is the number of ederly people living in their own household.has increased from 52.8% to 56.8%
Explanation for decline in birth rate
The decline in the birth rate in the first 60 years of the 20th century was mainly caused by a major decline in the infant mortality rate.
There is some evidence that women’s attitudes to childbearing underwent significant changes in the later part of the 20th century.
During the 20th century, childhood became commercialized, which meant that having babies and raising a child became very expensive.
Explanations for the general decline in fertility rates
There are 2 main reasons why fertility rates fell towards the end of the 20th century:
Reliable birth control
The feminisation of the economy
Babies born to women aged 24 years and under constituted 47 per cent of all births in 1971 but by 2012 this had fallen to 23 percent of all births.
The effects of birth and fertility rates on the family
Despite the changes in birth and fertility rates documented so far, the nuclear family continues to be important.
Changes in birth and fertility rates have had several effects on family life in the uk:
Families have declined in size
Women aged 24 or under are having less children
There is some evidence that the declining fertility rates are linked to the declining of the full time mother role
Some couples are extremely committed to their careers
Life expectancy
In 1851, life expectancy at birth in England and Wales was 40 years for males and 44 years for females.
The aging population
In the uk today, there are increasing numbers of people aged 65 and over and declaring numbers of children under 16.
Chambers notes it is important to understand the following points:
The ederly population of the uk is not a uniform group.
The elderly are often stereotyped as part of a culture of decline.
The elderly are often interpreted as an economic liability.
There are 3 major reasons why britain is experiencing an ageing population:
The decline in the death rate
The rise in life expectancy
The decline in the fertility rate
Elderly one person households
The aging of the population has led to a significant increase in the number of one-person households over state pension age as a proportion of all households.
Chambers notes that family support for single person households may be less available in the future because of these following factors:
High levels of geographical mobility
Families are getting smaller
Some women are choosing not to have children
Same sex couples and gay and lesbian single person housholds are less likely than hetrosexual couples to have children and consequently have no younger generational support
extended family
It was generally thought until fairly recently that the extended family residing under the same roof was in terminal decline. Wall found that in the 1950s, 40 percent of all the elderly had been taken in by their relatives, but this had dropped to only 5 percent by the mid 1990s.
grandparenting
Chambers notes that there is a growing recognition that families benefit from the presence of grandparents and that the interaction between grandparents and grandchildren is more qualitative than compared to the past.
Migration
Migration is central to population growth in the uk because of the decline of the birth and fertility rates and the aging of the population.
Historically, the population of great britain was made up of people from a white british ethnic background.
Legalisation and border controls
Legal migration is affected by laws governing the rights of people to move to other countries, while illegal migration is affected by the attempts of governments to control access to their territory.