4.5.2
Birth Rates
Birth Rate, Fertility Rate and Average Family Size
Birth Rate, Fertility Rate and Average Family Size
Since 1900 in the UK, the birth rate, the general and the total fertility rate have all been declining, resulting in smaller families.
Definitions
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 live births per 1,000 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
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; these are known as ‘baby booms’.
‘Baby booms’
‘Baby booms’
- Baby booms occurred after:
- The two world wars (as couples started families following separation).
- In the 1960’s as living standards rose.
- In the 2000’s as women who had delayed having children until they were older began having families.
Explaining the Decline in Birth and Fertility Rates
Explaining the Decline in Birth and Fertility Rates
There are a multitude of reasons that explain the decline in birth and fertility rates, including changes to social attitudes and values, laws, and financial situations.
Career women
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
Contraception
- Contraception is now more effective, safer and cheaper and there is access to safe and legal abortions (since 1967).
Financial responsibilities
Financial responsibilities
- Since being barred from employment in the nineteenth 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
Infant mortality
- The declining infant mortality rate means that more children are living beyond the age of five years old, so parents don’t need to have more children in the hope that some will survive.
Changing values
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
Individualisation
- The need for a geographically mobile workforce has lead 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.
Consequences of a Falling Birth Rate
Consequences of a Falling Birth Rate
The falling birth rate affects people of all ages within society in the UK.
Family structure
Family structure
- As women are more likely to be in full-time employment, dual income or symmetrical families become more common.
Dependency ratio
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
Public spending
- Less spending on public services and policies for children, so fewer schools, less spending on child benefits and less spending on healthcare.
1Theory & Methods
1.1Sociological Theories
1.2Sociological Methods
2Education with Methods in Context
2.1Role & Function of the Education System
2.2Educational Achievement
2.3Relationships & Processes Within Schools
3Option 1: Culture & Identity
3.1Conceptions of Culture
3.2Identity & Socialisation
3.3Social Identity
3.4Production, Consumption & Globalisation
4Option 1: Families & Households
4.1Families & Households
4.2Changing Patterns
4.3The Symmetrical Family
4.4Children & Childhood
5Option 1: Health
5.1Social Constructions
5.2Social Distribution of Healthcare
5.3Provision & Access to Healthcare
5.4Mental Health
6Option 1: Work, Poverty & Welfare
6.1Poverty & Wealth
7Option 2: Beliefs in Society
7.1Ideology, Science & Religion
7.2Religious Movements
7.3Society & Religion
8Option 2: Global Development
8.1Development, Underdevelopment & Global Inequality
8.2Globalisation & Global Organisations
8.3Aid, Trade, Industrialisation, Urbanisation
9Option 2: The Media
9.1Contemporary Media
9.2Media Representations
10Crime & Deviance
10.1Crime & Society
10.2Social Distribution of Crime
Jump to other topics
1Theory & Methods
1.1Sociological Theories
1.2Sociological Methods
2Education with Methods in Context
2.1Role & Function of the Education System
2.2Educational Achievement
2.3Relationships & Processes Within Schools
3Option 1: Culture & Identity
3.1Conceptions of Culture
3.2Identity & Socialisation
3.3Social Identity
3.4Production, Consumption & Globalisation
4Option 1: Families & Households
4.1Families & Households
4.2Changing Patterns
4.3The Symmetrical Family
4.4Children & Childhood
5Option 1: Health
5.1Social Constructions
5.2Social Distribution of Healthcare
5.3Provision & Access to Healthcare
5.4Mental Health
6Option 1: Work, Poverty & Welfare
6.1Poverty & Wealth
7Option 2: Beliefs in Society
7.1Ideology, Science & Religion
7.2Religious Movements
7.3Society & Religion
8Option 2: Global Development
8.1Development, Underdevelopment & Global Inequality
8.2Globalisation & Global Organisations
8.3Aid, Trade, Industrialisation, Urbanisation
9Option 2: The Media
9.1Contemporary Media
9.2Media Representations
10Crime & Deviance
10.1Crime & Society
10.2Social Distribution of Crime
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