We aim to make sure that our presentation

tells you...
the main population trends in the UK since
1900
To evaluate the reasons for population
changes, including birth, fertility, death rates,
ageing, family size and migration
evaluate the consequences of these changes

The number of births

obviously affects
population size .
Sociologists use the
concept of birth rate
to measure births.
This is defined as the
number of live births
per 1000 of the
population per year.

The total fertility rate

This is the average number of children a woman will have
during their fertile years.
The factors determining the birth rate:The proportion of women who are at a childbearing age
(15-44)
How fertile they are
The UKs TFR has risen since 2001, but its still much
lower than in the past.
These changes in fertility and birth rates reflect the
fact that
More women are remaining childless than in the past
Women are postponing having children; the average
age for giving birth is now 29.6 and fertility and fertility
rates for women in their 30s and 40s are on the increase.
Older women may be less fertile and have fewer fertile
years remaining and so they produce fewer children.

Sociologists have identified a number of

contributing factors for the new pattern that
have resulted in the long term decline in the
birth rate since 1900.
The contributing factors being a range of
social,
economic,
cultural,
legal,
political and technological factors.

There were major changes in the position of women

during the 20th century.
Legal equality with men, including the right to vote
Increased educational opportunities- girls now do better
at school than boys
More women paid in employment
Changes in attitudes to family life and women's role.
Easier to access divorce
Access to abortion if a woman chooses so.
Reliable contraception giving women more control over
their fertility.
These changes create the idea for women that they don't
have to adopt the role of the traditional housewife and
mother if they chose not too. Many are delaying
motherhood and focusing on their career firstly. If having
children at all.

The Infant Mortality Rate measures the

number of infants who dies before their first
birthday per thousand babies born alive per
year.

Many sociologists argue that a fall in the 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.

Improved housing and better sanitation, such as

flush toilets and clean drinking water, reduced
infectious disease. Infants are much more
susceptible to infection because of their less
developed immune system.
Better nutrition, including that of mothers.
Better knowledge of hygiene, child health and
welfare, often spread via women's magazines
A fall in the number of married women working
may have improved their health and that of their
babies.
Improved services for mothers and children,
such as antenatal and postnatal clinics.

Before the mid 20th century it is doubtful

whether specifically medical factors had much
effect on the IMR- although indirectly, the
medical profession had a significant impact
through its campaigns to improve public health
measures.

However, from about the 1950s, medical factors

began to play a greater role.

Mass immunisation against diseases such as

diptheria, whooping cough etc alongside the use
of antibiotics to fight infection and improved
doctoring, midwifery and obstetric techniques
all contributing to a continuing fall in the IMR.

Until the Late 19th century, children were economic assets

to their parents because they could be sent out to work
from an early age to earn an income. However, since the
late 19th century children have gradually become an
economic liability rather than an asset as seen in the 16th
century.
Two main factors are
Laws= banning child labour, introducing compulsory
schooling and raising the school leaving age mean that
children remain economically dependant on their parents
for longer and longer.
Changing norms= about what children have a right to
expect from their parents in material terms mean that the
cost of bringing up children has risen.

The increasing child

centeredness both of the
family and of society as a
whole means that childhood
is now socially constructed as
a uniquely important period
in the individuals life. In terms
of family size, this has
encouraged a shift from
quantity to quality- parents
now have fewer children and
lavish more attention and
resources on these few.

As a result of the above factors, birth rates,

fertility rates and family sizes have fallen over
the last century. However there HAS been a
slight increase in births since 2001.
One reason for this could be the increase in
immigration because, on average, mothers
from outside the UK have a higher fertility
rate than those born in the UK. Babies born
to mothers from outside the UK accounted
for 22% of all births in 2005.

Changes in the number of babies born affects

several aspects of society. These include:
the family,
the dependency ratio
and public services +polices

Smaller families mean that women are more

likely to be free to go out to work, thus the
dual earner couple typical of many
professional families. However, family size is
only one factor here. For example, better off
couples may be able to have larger families
and still afford childcare that allows them
both to have full time work

The dependency ratio is the relationship between the

size of the working or productive part of the
population and the size of the non working or
dependant part of the population. The earnings,
savings and taxes of the working population must
support the dependant population.
Children make up a large part of this dependent
population, so a fall in the number of children reduces
the burden of dependency on the working population.
However in the long term, fewer babies being born
will mean fewer young adults and a smaller
working population and so the burden of
dependency may begin to increase again.

A lower birth rate has consequences for public

services. For example fewer schools and
maternity and child health services may be
needed. It also has implications for the cost of
the maternity and paternity leave, or the types
of housing that need to be built. However, we
should remember that many of these are
political decisions. For example, instead of
reducing the number of schools, the
government may decide to have smaller class
sizes instead.

The definition of net migration means the difference

between the number of immigrants entering the country
and the number of emigrants leaving the country.
At the beginning of the century the UK had more emigrants
than immigrants. Most of these emigrants were young men
searching for work in America. This trend stopped briefly and
then started again in 1971. In 1971 there was a boom for 20
years in which families left the country to go to Australia, New
Zealand and South Africa to 1981. From 1998 to 2008
emigration has increased with the odd dip in 2001 and 2007. It
peaked in 2008; this meant that in 10 years nearly 100,000
people had left the country.

From 1931 to 1961 more people were coming into the country than
leaving. This is down to several factors which are; recovering from the
First World War in which men stayed in the country to help rebuild
and Britain brought in people from the British colonies mostly from
India. The outbreak of World War 2 saw soldiers from all over the
world due to injury, were sent to the UK from France, many soldiers
settled and stayed. The years after the World Wars saw more people
entering the country than leaving but only by a small margin. From
1982 to 1997 the amount of people coming into the country increased
dramatically, also more people were staying in the country than
leaving. From 1998 to 2007 immigration has risen with it peaking at
250,000 in 2004. The latest figures show that a long-term trend of
more people coming to live in the UK than leaving to live elsewhere
has continued. This means that the UK population rose by almost a
quarter of a million in 2007. In 2007, statistics show net immigration
increased by 46,000.

Very few Britons leave the country to study however many immigrants come to
the UK the study. Many universities have expanded to accommodate
immigrants because they pay full tuition fees and add to the economics of
higher education .

The negatives of looking at migration and

immigration in relation to population is that many
families are not counted when leaving the country,
there are no specific forms to be signed and filed that
will give the government a definite answer on the
number of families leaving. On the issue of
immigration, the government only counts the
number of people entering the country legally we
cannot gain definitive information on illegal
immigrants as they are believe or not illegal and are
everything but physically invisible.

Death rates have decreased, which have caused

change in population.
- There are better living conditions which means
increased life expectancy.
There is improved nutrition and also better
healthcare which is available and also hygiene.
People are living longer due to better sanitation,
which stops them from contracting diseases.
Thomas McKeown (1972) has argued that since
nutrition has improved, it has resulted in
reduction in death rates
Better nutrition had also increased resistance to
infection and increased survival chances of those
who did get infected.

After the 1950s improved medical knowledge,

techniques and organisations helped reduce
death rates. This included; introduction of
antibiotics, widespread immunisation and also
setting up a publicly funded NHS in 1949.
In the 20th century, effective central and local
government which had power to enforce laws,
led to improvements in public health and the
quality of the environment. These
improvements included purer drinking water
and improved sewage disposal methods.

The average age of the UK

population is rising.
There are fewer young people and
more old people in the population.
The amount of people aged 65 or
over, is projected to overtake the
number of under 16s for the first
time ever in 2014.
In 1971 it was 34.1 years. By 2007,
it was 39.6. And by 2031, it is
projected to reach 42.6.

Increasing life expectancy.

Declining infant mortality rate.
Decline in fertility fewer young people are
people are being produced, in relation to the
number of older people in the population.

Older people consume a large proportion of services

such as health and social care than other age groups.
The number of pensioners living alone has increased
One-person pensioner households now account for
14% of all households most of which are female,
because women generally live longer than men.
Like the non-working young, the non-working old are
an economically dependant group who need to be
provided for by those of a working age.
As the number of retired people rises, this increases
the dependency ratio and also the burden on the
working population.

The age of the population has increased

because the number of births which have
decreased and the increase of life
expectancy, which results in a higher average
age for the UK.
If the average age of people in the UK carries
on rising, it may result in most of the people
in the UK being elderly, then we will not be
able to afford all the pensions which they
require.