Summary
Summary Demographics UK
- Institution
- AQA
Aqa a level sociology families and households summary notes for demographics UK.
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Family structure Explaining the Fall in Death Rates Working conditionsAs women are more likely to be in full-time There are a multitude of reasons that explain Improved working conditions, such as higher
employment, dual income or symmetrical the fall in death and infant mortality rates and standards of health and safety at work, shorter
families become more common. the rise in life expectancy, including changes working hours and more leisure time have led
to educational and technological life-threatening occupations (e.g. coal mining)
Dependency ratio advancements and legal provisioning. being less dangerous.
A shift in the dependency ratio. Fewer Hygiene Positive Consequences of an Ageing
people are entering the workforce while Population
more people are retiring, leading to higher Improvement in hygiene and sanitation, such
levels of taxation on the working population as: Sewer systems. Clean running water. A The term ‘ageing population’ relates to the
to support the retired majority and a rise in greater understanding of the causes of increase in the average age of the population
the retirement age so that people work for infection has helped to eradicate many life- and a greater proportion of older people in the
longer. threatening diseases. population compared to young people.
Public spending Medicine Reasons
Less spending on public services and Advances in medicine and science, such as The main reasons for an ageing population
policies for children, so fewer schools, less vaccines, penicillin and other antibiotics, as include: A lower death rate. Increased life
spending on child benefits and less well as advances in surgery and medical expectancy. A lower infant mortality rate. A lower
spending on healthcare. technology, has meant the people are less fertility rate.
likely to die from disease and infection or due
The Death Rate, Infant Mortality Rate Positive consequences
to ailments such as heart disease.
and Life Expectancy
Older people are fitter, healthier and more
Living standards
The death rate, infant mortality rate and life independent than they were in the past. Older
expectancy have all improved since 1900 in Higher living standards and better nutrition people are essentially younger than they once
the UK. such as improved diets and higher quality were and are able to enjoy life and continue to
housing have improved both health and life contribute to society for longer.
The death rate expectancy.
Financial contributions
The death rate is defined as the number of Welfare state
deaths per 1,000 of the population each The legal abolition of the retirement age in
year. The death rate declined from 16 per Public health and welfare, such as food 2011, means that older people can continue
1,000 in 1902 to 8.7 per 1,000 in 2014. industry regulation, the National Health working for longer, contributing to the economy
Service and the welfare state, have ensured well beyond the former retirement age of 65.
The infant mortality rate that the food we eat is safe, that the whole UK
Community
The infant mortality rate fell from around population has access to healthcare and that
138 per 1,000 lives birth in 1902 to around those who cannot support themselves and As people age, they may be more likely to
4 per 1,000 in 2014. their families are given help. involve themselves in charitable and community
projects once they retire, reinforcing social
Life expectancy Health education
cohesion and community involvement.
Average life expectancy rose from 48.5 Crime
years (men) and 52.4 years (women) in Improved health education means that people
1901 to 79 years (men) and 83 years Older people are statistically less likely to
, Social support Housing Hirsch concludes that the current move
towards early retirement must be reneged to
An older, more active, population means Younger people might find it more difficult to meet the challenges.
that grandparents are more likely to be find affordable housing, as much of it will be
involved in caring for their grandchildren occupied by the elderly, leading to housing Lawton
and to provide wider financial, practical and shortages.
Lawton argues that the removal of the
emotional support.
The UK's Ageing Population compulsory retirement age of 65 in 2011 has
Negative Consequences of an Ageing given older people the choice to work longer if
The UK has an ageing population like the they wish. This aids the U.K.’s economic
Population
majority of other Western countries. The growth.
The term ‘ageing population’ relates to the average age is increasing while falling birth
increase in the average age of the rates mean that there are fewer younger Roy Griffiths report
population and a greater proportion of older people within the population.
In the 1980s, the government asked Roy
people in the population compared to young
Over 65s in the UK Griffiths to conduct a report into the use of
people.
resources and labour within the NHS -
Projected figures show that by 2050, one in culminating in the introduction of
Financial strain
four people will be aged 65 years and over in management within the healthcare system.
Increase in the dependency ratio and the U.K. The over 65s is the fastest growing The report also saw the responsibility of
possible future increases in taxes in order to age category (ONS, 2019). This change in funding (either residential or care at home)
support an ageing population. Around half demographics can be attributed to declining being given to local authorities from
of the state welfare budget is allocated to fertility and mortality rates. centralised government. This change in policy
pensions, so there is the possibility that was introduced to provide social care for the
Under 16-year-olds
other services will need to be cut or scaled growing ageing population.
back. Conversely, projections suggest that by 2038,
the percentage of under 16-year-olds is Housing policy
Living standards
expected to fall to 17.4%. Housing policy may be affected by an ageing
Marxists might argue that an ageing population: more care homes, sheltered
Challenges for policy makers
population will lead to higher levels of accommodation and retirement homes will be
poverty and lower standards of living. The The ageing population raises challenging needed to accommodate this growing
labour market will suffer a loss of skills and questions for social policy makers who have to demographic. Housing will also need to be
experiences which have built up over a adapt to provide adequate support. In addition, accessible and adapted. The ONS states that
lifetime. the burden of care will increase as a result of availability of suitable accommodation directly
the ageing population. impacts the length of time older people can
Loneliness
Studies on Burden of Care (Ageing live independently. In turn, this impacts the
There is likely to be an increase in subsequent demand for social and health care
Population)
pensioner one-person households, services (ONS, 2020).
especially amongst women who live longer. Here are studies from Hirsch, Lawton, Roy
This in turn could lead to a greater Griffiths, Townsend and Pilcher on the UK's Townsend & Pilcher
dependency on their children and an ageing population. Townsend argues that older people are
increase is loneliness and feelings of perceived negatively through social
isolation. Hirsch
construction as relying on low benefits and
Hirsch argues that the ageing population services which may push them into poverty. In
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