Demography/Social Movements
April 25, 2005
http://www.iastate.edu/~soc.134
© 2005 David Schweingruber
Consequences of demographic transition
 Most worldwide population growth happened in past 200
years
• First billion reached in 1804, sixth billion in Oct. 1999
 World population growth is stabilizing
• Highest growth rate (2.04%) in late 1960s; now at 1.31%
• U.N. projects world pop. stabilizing at 10 billion after 2200
 Growth rates vary among nations
• Most growth is in developing (stage 2) nations
• Some stage 3 nations approach zero population growth (ZPG)
 Age structures and sex ratios vary among nations
©©2005
2000David
DavidSchweingruber
Schweingruber
Birth rates/death rates of six nations, 1998
Births/deaths per 1,000
people
60
Birth rate
Death rate
53.0
50
42.4
40
30
20
23.4
17.4
14.4
8.8
10
0
Niger (2.9%) Afghanistan U.S. (1.0%)
(5.9%)
12.1
11.710.8 9.7 9.6
7.3
Canada
(1.2%)
Sweden
(0.4%)
Spain (0.1%)
Nations (with annual growth rate)
©©2005
2000David
DavidSchweingruber
Schweingruber
Total fertility rates of 20 nations, 1998
At or approaching ZPG
Bulgaria
1.14
Italy
1.19
Germany
1.25
Russia
1.34
Austria
1.37
Canada
1.65
United Kingdom
1.70
China
1.80
Australia
1.82
United States
2.07
Higher TFR
Niger
Yemen
Zambia
Sudan
Haiti
Kenya
Egypt
India
South Africa
Mexico
7.30
7.14
6.41
5.68
4.67
4.07
3.41
3.24
3.16
2.91
©©2005
2000David
DavidSchweingruber
Schweingruber
Age structures in six nations, 1998
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
3.2%
4.6%
12.7%
12.5%
65.7%
67.7%
21.6%
U.S.
16.3%
17.6%
68.5%
68.0%
19.8%
15.2%
14.4%
Canada
Spain
Italy
49.4%
60.9%
47.4%
Mali
34.5%
India
Under 15
15-64
Over 64
©©2005
2000David
DavidSchweingruber
Schweingruber
Sex ratios
 Sex ratio at birth: 105 males to 100 females
 Sex ratio for world population: 101
 Nations with older populations have fewer men than women
because women live longer
• E.g., Italy 94 sex ratio, Spain 95, Japan 96, U.S. 96
 Other nations have more men than women because women
are selectively neglected or killed
• China (107 sex ratio) has one-child policy
• India (107) has dowry tradition
• Afghanistan (106) limits women’s medical care
©©2005
2000David
DavidSchweingruber
Schweingruber
Individuals as cause of society
Social movements: continuous,
large-scale, organized collective
action motivated by the desire to
enact, stop, or reverse change in
some area of society
©©2005
2000David
DavidSchweingruber
Schweingruber
Types of social movements
How much change?
Specific
Individuals
Who is
changed?
Everyone
Limited
Radical
Alternative
Social
Movement
Redemptive
Social
Movement
Revolutionary
Social
Movement
Reform
Social
Movement
©©2005
2000David
DavidSchweingruber
Schweingruber
Old vs. new social movements
Old social movements: related to economic
struggles between “haves” and “have-nots”
 E.g., labor movement, Grange movement
New social movements: focus on non-economic
quality of life issues
 E.g., feminism, gay rights, peace movement,
environmentalism, pro-choice/pro-life, animal rights
©©2005
2000David
DavidSchweingruber
Schweingruber