Exam (elaborations)
SOC2604 EXAMSEMESTER 1 2023
- Institution
- University Of South Africa (Unisa)
THIS DOCUMENT CONTAINS ANSWERS FOR 3 QUESTIONS FOR THE SOC2604 EXAM SEMESTER 1 2023, YOU NEED TO CHOOSE ANY 2 QUESTIONS,PARAPHRASE AND SUBMIT
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NAME:STUDENT NUMBER:
MODULECODE: SOC2604
UNIQUE CODE: 603670
ASSIGNMENT NUMBER: 04
DUE DATE: 07 JUNE 2023
QUESTION 1
1. Introduction
In this essay, we will critically discuss demography and population changes with
reference to fertility, mortality and migration.
2. Definition of key concepts
“Demography is the scientific study of human populations. The term itself was coined in
1855 by Achille Guillard” (Weeks, 2005:4). Weeks (2005:5) explains the term
demography further by listing six aspects that are determinants and consequences of
population change:
Population size: The number of people in a specified area;
Population growth or decline;
Population processes: Mortality, fertility and migration trends;
Population distribution;
Population structure: Age and sex divisions;
Population characteristics: Includes aspects such as educational levels, income,
occupation and citizen status in a given place.
3. Mortality
,Mortality refers to death and there are many measurements of specific types of mortality
that demographers measure in order to give us insight into a society. However, a
related term that is very important is life expectancy. This term refers to the “statistically
average length of life” or “average expected age at death” (Weeks, 2005:152). In this
regard, the most commonly used measurement is life expectancy at birth. The infant
mortality rate (IMR) refers to the number of deaths per 1 000 live births within the first
year of life. This is an important measurement to indicate the general health of a
population because babies are particularly susceptible to health threats. The birthing
event itself is also a risk factor for the mother and hence the maternal mortality rate
(MMR) is a factor here as well. Please note that the MMR is expressed per 100 000 live
births.
Migration
Migration can simply be defined as “any permanent change in residence” and should
not be confused with temporary movement due to commuting or travelling (Weeks,
2005:275). Internal migration is the movement from one permanent place of residence
to another within the borders of a country whilst international migration will entail moving
to another country. We can of course also distinguish between legal and illegal migrants
where the former has legal documents to prove that they have permission from
authorities to settle in a new country. Illegal or undocumented migrants have no such
documents.
At this point you may wonder how all of these factors are related to families. These
measurements help us understand large trends in countries and globally. The term
proximate determinant is of importance here: “A proximate determinant is an
intermediate variable by means of which the broader, macro level socioeconomic
factors influence the demographic outcomes” (Weeks, 2005:219). So the variables are
influenced by broad socioeconomic changes. These measurements capture some of
the decisions that individuals make about the planning of their families. Or, in some
cases they show us that some people may have very little decision-making power about
their families. We will consider the demographic transitions next and then consider how
they relate to families and households.
Fertility
Fertility refers to the number of children a woman has. Fertility is influenced by
biological and social aspects. Some women are unable to fall pregnant and give birth to
a child due to biological reasons. As a general rule of thumb, if a heterosexual couple
wants to have a child (and hence not using any contraceptive methods) and they do not
fall pregnant after being sexually active for about one year, they may be infertile (Weeks
2005:203). Of course, the couple may not fall pregnant because either the man or the
woman is (or both are) infertile. However, fertility patterns often focus on women and
their biological potential to have children, because they are the ones who become
pregnant and give birth to children and hence this is the easiest to observe.
, The social component of fertility is just as important, and sometimes more important,
than the biological component. In certain societies, children are seen as advantageous
but in others children may be regarded as an economic liability. John Caldwell’s theory
on “Net Intergenerational Wealth Flows” explains this in detail. In 1976 Caldwell stated
that:
“before the onset of fertility decline in a society, uncontrolled fertility is an economically
rational choice for a number of reasons, including the value of children’s work (minus
their consumption) and their insurance value in times of danger, disaster, and parents’
old age” (Caldwell, 2005:721).
There are various ways in which fertility may be measured, but the most common is the
Total Fertility Rate (TFR) measurement because it allows for easy comparisons
between societies. The TFR is the average number of children born to women within a
society (Weeks, 2005:212). In general a TFR of 2.1 children is believed to be
“Replacement-level fertility”. This means the average number of children women in a
population should bear in order for the population to replace itself (not shrink). A TFR
over a long period would mean each generation will replace itself if no international
migration takes place (World Health Organisation, 2019). However, other variables have
to be taken into account such as the recent HIV and AIDS epidemic clearly illustrated in
specific countries (including South Africa, see Study Unit 7 of this study guide).
Consider then that in 2017 the reported TFR for Nigeria was 5.5 and for Botswana it
was 2.7 (World Bank, 2019a). Can you see that these figures are starting to tell a story
of their own, although they can of course not be interpreted in isolation.
List of references
University of South Africa. 2021. Sociology of Families and Social Problems. Only Study
Guide for SOC2604
QUESTION 2
Critically discuss the theoretical perspectives on deviance and crime, with specific
reference to:
Introduction
In this essay we will critically discuss the theoretical perspectives on deviance and
crime, with specific reference to Functionalist perspective on deviance and crime,
Conflict perspectives on deviance and crime, Differential Association Theory.
Theoretical perspectives on deviance and crime
There are an abundance of theories on deviance, including anomie/strain theory,
differential association and social learning theory, labelling theory, conflict theories of
deviance, older essentialist perspectives, the medical approach to deviance and
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