Changes in Women's Position

This page delves into the significant changes in women's societal roles and status throughout the 20th century, which have had profound effects on demographic trends.

Key changes in women's position include:

1. Easier access to divorce, granting women more freedom in their personal lives.
2. Control over fertility through access to abortion and reliable contraception.
3. Legal equality with men, including the right to vote.
4. Increased educational opportunities, with girls now often outperforming boys academically.
5. Greater participation in paid employment, supported by laws against unequal pay and sex discrimination.
6. Shifting attitudes towards family life and women's roles in society.

Highlight: Harper (2012) identifies women's education as the most significant factor in falling birth rates, as educated women are more likely to use family planning and pursue careers beyond traditional roles of housewife and mother.

The page also discusses the decline in infant mortality rates (IMR) and its impact on birth rates:

• The IMR measures the number of babies who die before their first birthday per 1,000 live births annually.
• As the IMR has fallen, birth rates have also decreased because parents are no longer replacing children lost in infancy.

Factors contributing to the decline in IMR in the early 20th century include:

• Improved housing and sanitation
• Better nutrition
• Enhanced knowledge of hygiene and child health
• Improved services for mothers and children
• Advancements in medical care, including mass immunizations and better use of antibiotics

Vocabulary:

• Birth rate: The number of live births per 1,000 of the population per year.
• Fertility rate: The average number of children women of childbearing age (15-44) will have.

Both birth and fertility rates in the UK have fallen significantly over the years. In 1900, the birth rate was 28.7, but it had fallen to approximately 12.2 in 2014.

The document explores reasons for declining birth rates, including:

1. Child-centredness and children as an economic liability:

   • Childhood is now viewed as uniquely important, leading families to have fewer children to focus on quality of life.
   • Children are no longer economic assets sent to work, increasing the cost of raising them.

2. Increased cost of raising children:

   • Financial pressures discourage parents from having larger families.

Example: The cost of raising a child has risen significantly, including expenses for education, healthcare, and extracurricular activities.

The impact of low birth rates on family structures and society includes:

• Changes in the dependency ratio (working people to non-working people)
• Effects on public services and politics
• Smaller family sizes and increased freedom for women to work
• Rise in dual-earner households

Quote: "Future trends - Family sizes have fallen due to the decline in birth rates. However, this has changed in recent years due to the increase in immigration - mothers from outside of the UK account for 25% of all births in 2011."

This information is crucial for A level sociology demography revision notes and understanding demographic changes in the family Sociology.

Death Rates and Life Expectancy

This page focuses on death rates, life expectancy, and the factors influencing these demographic indicators.

Definition: Death rate is the number of deaths per 1,000 of the population per year.

The death rate has fallen since 1870, with slight fluctuations during periods of economic depression and war. It has been declining slightly since 1950.

Factors contributing to the decline in death rates include:

1. Improved nutrition:

   • McKeown (1972) argues that improved nutrition accounts for up to half the reduction in death rates.
   • Better nutrition increases resistance to infection and improves survival rates.

2. Medical improvements:

   • After 1950, improved medical knowledge, techniques, and organization helped reduce death rates.
   • Advances include blood transfusions, improved maternity services, and the establishment of the NHS in 1948.
   • Recent developments like bypass surgeries have reduced heart disease deaths by one-third.

3. Lifestyle changes:

   • Harper argues that the greatest fall in recent decades is due to a reduction in smoking.
   • However, obesity has replaced smoking as the new lifestyle epidemic in the 21st century.

Highlight: Despite rising obesity rates, drug therapies have kept related deaths low. Harper suggests this is due to a shift towards an 'American' health culture where lifestyles are medicated rather than changed.

Life expectancy:

• As death rates fall, life expectancy increases.
• In 1900, males lived to 50 and females to 57. By 2013, life expectancy increased to 90.7 for males and 94 for females.
• Harper predicts that if greater longevity continues, we'll see radical longevity with more people aged over 100 - potentially 1 million by the year 2100 compared to around 10,000 now.

This information is essential for A level Sociology demography exam questions and understanding the long-term implications of demographic changes on society and family structures.