Fertility rates and demographic change
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Fertility rates and demographic change
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[post_content] => Practice Passage (Question 1-5)
*This passage is the property of Khan Academy and has been reformatted into an AAMC-style interface in their entirety by MedLife Mastery. MedLife Mastery does not endorse and is not an affiliate of Khan Academy.
Demographers and social scientists examine various factors associated with population change. Fertility rate is a notable indicator of demographic shifts. Fertility rate can be defined as the number of children that the average woman bears. The world’s overall average fertility rate is 2.7. The table below indicates the highest and lowest fertility rates in the world for selected countries.
Table 1. Fertility rates by country, highest and lowest, 2006
There are various explanations for differences in fertility rates across the world. Some demographers provide explanations of high fertility rates in developing countries—high mortality rates, lack of opportunities for individual advancement, and the higher economic value of children (e.g. children can contribute to household economic productivity). However, another study looked at advanced countries and found that low fertility is a result of conflict between high levels of gender equity in individual social institutions (e.g., the workplace), and low levels of gender equity within the home. In these situations, women elect to have fewer children in order to remain competitive in the market, and to be in control of their own futures. The researcher argues that low fertility will persist unless gender equity within families rises.
To further trace demographic shifts, demographers also calculate a country’s crude birth rate--the annual live births per 1,000 population. The formula for the rate of natural population increase (rate of population change in the absence of migration) is (in %): (crude birth rate − crude death rate) / 10. Table 2 shows world crude birth rates and crude death rates.
Table 2: World crude birth and death rates (1950-2010)
Data Adapted From:
Henslin, J. M. (2015). Essentials of sociology: a down to earth approach. 13th ed.
McDonald, P. (2000). Gender Equity in Theories of Fertility Transition. Population and Development Review, 23(3), 427-439.
Caldwell, J. (1976). Toward a restatement of demographic transition theory. Population and Development Review 2(34), 321-366.
UN Data, World Population Prospects: The 2012 Revision.
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[question] => Which of the following is correct according to the data presented in Table 1?
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[description] => Reason for Correct Answer:
Table 1 presents fertility rates, which are defined as the number of children that the average woman bears. Fertility refers to the number of children the average woman bears, while fecundity refers to the number of children that women are capable of bearing.
In Macao, since the fertility rate is 0.9, it means that the average woman there gives birth to 0.9 children.
This means that over time, the population growth would move towards 0, since each woman is bearing less than 1 child, assuming no immigration.
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[each_answer] => A. The fertility rate of Macao is 0.9, which implies that if continued at the same rate (assuming no immigration), population growth would move towards 0.
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[each_answer] => B. The numbers in Table 1 indicate the number of children that women are capable of bearing.
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[each_answer] => C. In Niger, the average woman gives birth to 7.9 children, five times as many as the average woman in Macao.
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[each_answer] => D. The region of the world that has the highest fertility rate is Asia.
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[question] => According to the above findings explaining low fertility in advanced countries, which of the following is true?
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[description] => Reason for Correct Answer:
The study explains low fertility in advanced countries as a result of conflict between high levels of gender equity in individual social institutions, and low levels of gender equity within the home.
Childbearing decisions are influenced by individual social institutional contexts (workplace).
The study considers the workplace (social institution) when discussing women’s fertility.
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[0] => Array
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[each_answer] => A. The study situates fertility within institutional contexts such as the workplace.
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[each_answer] => B. High gender equity at home and in workplaces explains low fertility in developed nations.
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[each_answer] => C. Women who have more children cannot remain competitive in the market.
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[each_answer] => D. Gender conflicts in the workplace contribute to declining fertility rates.
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[question] => In developing nations with high fertility rates, researchers postulated that children play economic production roles in the family and therefore families may choose to have more children to maintain families’ economic stability. Which of the following theoretical perspectives is best demonstrated by the above argument?
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[answer] => 1
[description] => Reason for Correct Answer:
Individual family members (children) perform economic functions for the entire family.
Children in this setting have economic functions/roles for the family.
Functions keep a group (family) in balance. The family is a unit, made up of interrelated parts that work together, each member having a function. The analysis of such functions is functional analysis.
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[each_answer] => A. Functional analysis
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[each_answer] => B. Conflict theory
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[each_answer] => C. Symbolic interactionism
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[each_answer] => D. Social stratification
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[quiz_unique_key] => 1403770772
[question] => If researchers want to examine the effect of primary groups on fertility outcomes, which of the following would be the most relevant independent variable?
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[answer] => 3
[description] => Reason for Correct Answer:
A primary group is typically a small social group whose members share close, personal, enduring relationships.
A primary group includes family, friends, and highly influential social groups.
In a study investigating the effect of primary groups on fertility behavior, “friendship ties” would be most relevant to assessing the impact of primary groups.
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[0] => Array
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[each_answer] => A. Religious affiliation
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[each_answer] => B. Workplace status
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[each_answer] => C. Friendship ties
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[each_answer] => D. Population shifts
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[quiz_unique_key] => 1403770772
[question] => Which of the following is true according to the information presented in Table 2?
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[answer] => 2
[description] => Reason for Correct Answer:
The formula for the rate of natural population increase (rate of population change in the absence of migration) is (in %): (crude birth rate − crude death rate) / 10.
In 2005-2010, the crude birth rate was 20.3, the crude death rate was 8.5.
In 2005-2010, the rate of natural population increase was (20.3-8.5)/10=1.18%.
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[each_answer] => A. The rate of natural population increase in 2005-2010 is 11.8.
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[each_answer] => B. The rate of natural population increase in 2005-2010 is 1.18%.
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[each_answer] => C. The population increased more in 2005-2010 than in 1950-1955.
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[each_answer] => D. The population increased more in 2005-2010 than in 2000-2005.
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