A* essay answer for the exam question "Suggest what this survey shows about changes in the structure and characteristics of British Families after 1960". Please note: this answer corresponds to a visual or graph (not provided). This essay covers changes in birth rate, occupation, migration and incr...
Suggest what this survey shows about changes in the structure and characteristics of
British Families after 1960 (10 marks)
The survey conducted shows that the average number of children per family has
decreased by 1.3, from 3.1 in 1961 to 1.8 in 2009. This suggests that the fertility rate has
significantly dropped in the UK, a change that could have resulted from increasing
education, contraception, in addition to social changes such as the empowerment of
women and increasing numbers of women choosing careers over starting a family.
Furthermore, the increasing average age of women when having their first child—an
increase of 4 years from 24 in 1961 to 28 in 2009—also suggests that more women are
focusing on careers, leading to decisions to have children later in life. These changes,
overall lead to fewer children being born, causing a narrower population pyramid base,
alongside these children being born to women at a significantly older age compared to
around 50 years ago.
In addition to the changes to fertility, the survey shows another important demographic
change—an increased average age of the oldest living family member. An increase of 11
years is seen in the survey results from the oldest member, on average, being 78 in
1961, to 89 in 2009. This shows a general increased longevity, the result of better
scientific and medical understanding— leading to better medication, nutrition and
hygiene—and an increased quality of life. When this change is taken along with the
decreased fertility shown in the survey, the proportions of young to older people are out
of balance—leading to an ageing population where there are more over 65s than under
16s. If this data were presented in a population pyramid, showing these proportions, the
result would be a top-heavy pyramid with a narrowing base and a widening top.
The survey data includes some typical occupations of family members in a comparison
between those common in 1961 and in 2009. In 1961, typical jobs range from shop work
to food processing whereas in 2009, teaching and medical jobs feature. This shows a
decrease in the more manual based jobs such as food processing and car assembly that
were typical of 1961 and an increase in work in the service sector such as teaching and
financial services. These key changes in employment choices demonstrate some of the
factors influencing other changes such as the birth rate and its link with the growth of
education.
Finally, the differences between the birthplace of oldest living relatives in 1961 and
2009, suggest the increase in migration because in 2009, the birthplaces were not
restricted to parts of Britain such as London and Ireland as they were in 1961. In 2009,
there was much more variation in the place of origin—in addition to areas in England,
Jamaica, India and Bangladesh were all places of origin. This shows that immigration
into England from outside of Europe greatly increased between the years 1961 and
2009 and that there were increasing numbers of permanent immigrants who were
settling and having families in Britain.
Overall, this survey shows several significant demographic changes to British family
structure from 1961 and 2009, including decreasing birth rates and death rates—shown
by increasing longevity—in addition to higher numbers of non-European immigrants
and increasing focus on employment in the service sector in comparison to manual jobs.
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