Family 3

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DEMOGRAPHIC TRENDS IN FAMILY LIFE 

Reasons for population growth 

  • In the 1950s and 60s there were more births than deaths (natural change)
  • Since the 1980s immigration has exceeded migration this change has accounted for 54% of the increase of the UK population. 

Changes in birth rates 

  • In 2004 there was 34% fewer births than in 1901 and 21% fewer than in 1971. 
  • Fluctuations due to: 
  • Fall in births during WW1 
  • A post war 'baby boom' peaking at 1.1 million in 1920. 
  • Decline until after WW2 with another 'baby boom'. 
  • Last significant increase in late 1980s and early 1990s with women born in the post WW2 boom entering child bearing years. 
  • Since 2001 birth rate has risen steadily with 2006 being the highest for 26 years. 
  • However the birth rate is still lower than 1901 due to:
    • A major decline in the infant mortality rate- meaning parents do not need to have a lot of children to ensure a few survive. 
    • An increase in living standards has made raising children more expensive, as childhood has become more commercialised it is expected that parents spend 28% of their income on children. 
    • Changing womens attitiudes means more women are career orientated and choose to have less children. Wilkinson (feminist) describes this as a genderquake. 
    • Post modernists argue that men and women more exposed to consumerism are becoming more selfish and would rather keep their freedom rather than restricting themselves with children. 

Changes in the fertility rate 

  • Fertility rates have declined over the past 100 years. 
  • Since 2009 the government have used the phrase 'Total Fertility Rate' to find the average number of children a women has over her childbearing life. in 1900 this figure was 3.5 compared to only 1.94 in 2012. 
  • While women are delaying having families until they are at an older age, this has meant that the fertility rate for women over 30 has risen, with the number of children born to over 40s doubling in the last 30 years. 
  • These changes are likely to have occured due to:
    • Reliable birth control- and the contraceptive pill becoming widely available to women in 1961. 
    • Better educational oppurtunities for women and the feminisation of the economy has changed attitudes on child bearing as their is more career choice and chances of economic interdependance. 
    • Changing attitudes to family life- showed women that their were other lifestyle choices other than having a marriage and children. 
  • The rise in fertility in very recent years has been due to the increased numbers of immigrants living in the UK. These babies account for 26% of all births. This is often because many women immigrating to the UK are un their peak fertility age. 
  • Effects of the fertility rate on the family: 
    • Families have got smaller (in 2013 47% of nuclear families had one child compared to 14% with 2 children). 
    • There has been a decline in under 24s having children and an increase in older mothers. 
    • Deciline in birth…

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