The article “No Babies” by Russell Shorto discusses how the population in Europe is drastically decreasing because the low birth rate and higher death rate. He discusses how the birth to death rate is very unbalanced as well, which is a result of the declining population. European culture is feared be lost due to the fact that the majority of the European population is mainly made up of older generations and few younger. In the article Population “7 Billion”, Robert Kunzig discusses how the population worldwide is increasing drastically. He discusses that although the population is growing, our planet may not have all the resources it needs to accommodate the growing population.
The late 60's early 70's saw marriages in the UK grow, reaching the highest peak recorded in the history of the UK in 1972 at 480,000, however by 2001 this figure had dropped to 206,000. Along side this, the average age for first marriages rose by seven years between 1971 and 2005, where the figure reached 30 for women and 32 for males. The significant drop in marriage rates over the years is due to many factors. Firstly, the late 60's/early 70's, saw the so-called 'baby-boom' period from the 50's come into effect, after WW2 ended in the early 50's, men where coming back from war, and getting there wife's pregnant, due to not seeing each other for so long etc, this in turn meant that there was a boom period for baby's being born, the late 60's/early 70's where now seeing these baby's, who by this time where in their late teens and early twenties marrying each other at a younger age, than previous generations. This explains why there is such a peak between 1970-1980, a higher birth rate years before meant that there was a higher marriage rate, especially the record figure in 72.
However, some experts believe the rates have declined because the baby boomer generations are aging, so the percentage of young adults has declined. Some believe that the tougher or harsher sentences for crimes are a cause and there is evidence of this based on the increased prison populations. According to "Where Have All The Burglars Gone?" (2013), "Could more criminals being locked up be the answer? The number of people behind bars has grown substantially in many countries over the past 20 years.” (para.
At Any Given Time, anyone can become vulnerable, the composition of the population has changed demographically and the elderly population has increased in recent years because of the development of the science and technology, but with this increment of the elderly population the vulnerability increases as well, due to some factors that this vulnerable population is exposed to, such as increase of the needs, physical and mental limitations, and lack of financial resources. Chronic illnesses increase vulnerability in elderly patients because patients become more dependent of assistance from family and require more medical care and health services to manage their physical limitations and disease. These most common diseases are: Alzheimer disease, heart disease, respiratory diseases, stroke, poor vision and hearing
Aging Population In the United States many senior citizens are living longer. The change of growth in the senior population of America is ranked on of the most important demographic developments in today’s century and will continue into the centuries to come. In the United States, proportions aged 65 is projected to increase from 12.4% in year 2000 to 19.6% in year 2030. (MMWR, 2003) According to the article, why population aging matters, the population aging is driven by declines in infertility and improvements in health and longevity. We will soon have more elderly then children in the United States.
Over the last century, there has been a decline in premature deaths throughout developed countries (Alder et al, 2009). Life expectancy has grown in the United Kingdom from 45 for females and 49 for males In 1901 and in more recent times to 75 years for male and 80 years for female in 1999 (Hicks and Ellen;1999). Not everywhere is experiencing longevity of life the average life expectancy in Zimbabwe is 35.5 (Stibich, 2009).The ONS (2009) have suggested that males and females in the UK could expect to live to 77.44 and 81.65 years respectively. The same report also highlighted the gap between the genders after surviving to 65 years. This is illustrated in the diagram below.
At stage 2, the DTM starts to change, with the total population increasing, due to a fall in the death rate and a still high birth rate. This can be seen in many developing countries now, such as Ethiopia, and many others from Africa. The death rate falls due to an increase in the availability and effectiveness of healthcare, and also due to an increase in the mechanisation of work, causing less people to die while working from accidents. The birth rate however remains high, as it takes time for the population to fully realise that less children are dying, and therefore they do not need to have as many children in order to support themselves. Another reason due to the high birth rate in countries such as Ethiopia is the lack of use of contraceptives.
Due to dropping fertility rates and an increased life expectancy, China’s population has rapidly become an aging one. In 1980 the percentage of the population 65+ was 5%, but today it is 8.5%. Although these figures are lower than other countries such as Japan (20%), a lack of pension coverage in China means that approximately 70% of elderly people are reliant financially on their children and grandchildren. As an only child, many adults in China struggle to support their two parents and four grandparents. Most cannot receive support from siblings or cousins as they do not have them.
For example, both urban and rural suicide rates decreased, male suicide rates became higher than those of the females, and elderly suicide significantly increased. The most recent decade of the 2010s moulded the distinction between the traditional suicide profile in the rural areas that were immensely affected by the collapse of communes and the rise of migration. As for the city areas, the urbanisation and modernisation have improved the livelihood of the younger generation. However, the ageing of society, urban life stressors, mental health issues, and rising living prices are putting their toll on the metropolitan society. Without the positive economic growth and urbanisation rates, these factors may lead to a new upsurge in the suicide rates.
According to Howarth et al this is due to the perceived lack of sufficient data on this topic, although recent social exclusion (PSE) surveys and reports offer a great scope of the issue. At present there are around 11 million pensioners in the UK: 4 million men and 7 million women. Pensioners make up around 18% of the population and this is an ever increasing statistic as the life expectancy age has risen (ONS, 1999). Not only are the older generations living longer healthier lives, on average the position of pensioners in current society has been improving, for example in the 1980-1990s when pensioners incomes grew by two thirds (DSS, 2002). These changes have enabled greater independence for some