Population
You should use this PowerPoint in
conjunction with your exercise book
to help you revise.
You need to know…
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
World population growth: where is it growing fastest?
Factors affecting birth rates and death rates
Natural increase
Overpopulation: definition and associated problems
Population control policies: China’s One Child Policy
Types of migration
International migration: Mexico to the USA
Asylum seekers
Ageing population in the UK and the pension crisis
World population growth
BBC Bitesize
- population distribution
- population growth
Factors affecting birth rates
Higher birth rates
•Lack of access to contraception: LEDCs tend to have poor access to
contraception which results in higher birth rates.
•Early marriage: early marriage in LEDCs leads to higher birth rates
as women have more time to have children .
•Carrying on family name: boys are prized in many cultures to carry
on the family name, families will continue to have children until
they have a boy resulting in higher birth rates.
•Traditional role of women: in many LEDCs women are viewed as
homemakers and their role is to look after children.
•Polygamy: in some cultures e.g. Bedouin tribe multiple marriages
can result in higher birth rates
•Workers: more children mean more workers so poorer families
have more children to work, support themselves in their old age or
to work on the farm
•High infant mortality: poor sanitation and medical care mean that
many infants die young so people have more children to
compensate.
•Status: in some countries e.g. Kenya the larger the family, the
stronger the man(!) resulting in higher birth rates.
•Religion: high birth rates as the use of contraception is banned e.g.
Catholicism which raises birth rates.
Lower birth rates
•Availability of contraception: couples can decide whether or not
to have children which decreases the birth rate
•Sex education: people are more aware of contrapcetion methods
etc which lowers the birth rate
•Population control strategies: some countries e.g. China restrict
birth which lower the birth rate.
•Career women: in MEDCs many women now work and delay
having children thus lowering the birth rate.
•Finances: some couples decide the limit their family to one or two
children as the cost of bringing them up is expensive.
•Cultural norms: one or two children is seen as a 'normal' family
size.
Factors affecting death rates
•
•
•
•
Access to healthcare
Natural disasters e.g. earthquakes, floods
Diseases e.g. HIV/AIDs
Human-induced illnesses e.g. obseity, lung
cancer (due to smoking)
• War
• Access to clean water and sanitation
• Famine
Natural Increase
• This figure shows us how a population is
changing according to the number of births
and deaths. It does not take migration into
consideration.
Overpopulation
Overpopulation: too many people for the
resources available.
• For this section you will need to be able to
explain the consequences of overpopulation.
Make sure you develop your points fully.
e.g. too many people > not enough schools >
more people can’t read or write > illiterate
population > can’t get highly paid jobs > etc.
Population control: China’s One Child Policy
During the 1970s the Chinese government realised that the country would be heading for disaster unless population growth was
dramatically reduced. The one-child policy was introduced in 1979 and it set out that:
•
women could not marry until they were 20 years old and men 22 years old.
•
couples must apply for permission to marry and to try to have a baby
•
couples could only have one successful pregnancy (and therefore, usually only one child
•
policy only applied to native (Han) Chinese
•
in rural areas, where sons are essential to work the family land, a second pregnancy was allowed if the first child was a girl, in the hope
of having a boy
•
second children born abroad are not penalised, but they are not allowed to become Chinese citizens
Benefits if policy followed
Sanctions if policy not followed
Priority housing
Pension
Family benefits
Free education for the only child
10% salary decrease
Fine was so large that it bankrupted many households
Family would have to pay for education of both
children and for healthcare for all the family
If you didn't follow the one-child policy the pressure to abort a second pregnancy was immense. The government would even cut the pay of
the couple's co-workers so they would make life unbearable. The 'Granny Police' were older women in the community who were entrusted
with keeping everyone in line. They checked regularly on couples of childbearing age, even accompanying women on contraception
appointments to ensure that they attended.
Did it work?
Essential yes, China's one-child policy has prevented the births of over 400 million babies and the population is lower than it would have
been had the policy not been enforced. Population growth has slowed down enough for all people to have enough food and jobs. Increased
technology amd exploitation of resources have raised living standards for many. This is partly due to the one-child policy but also because of
technology from other countries.
However, it has created a lot of problems for China as well.
•
Chinese society prefers sons over daughters. Some daughters were placed in orphanages or left to die (female infanticide) in the hope
of having a son the second time round.
•
Due to preference for boys, China now has a gender imbalance. By 2020, it is estimated that men in China will outnumber women by
30 million, which might lead to social tension and unrest as more and more men find themselves unable to marry.
•
Little emperors: children have become over indulged by their two parents and four grandparents as they are the only child.
•
The only child will have to support two parents and four grandparents to support. Could lead to an ageing population. They will need
supporting financially in their old age which includes an increasing need for expensive healthcare.
•
Many experts believe that China's growing economy won't have enough workers to keep expanding whilst also supporting the
increasing number of dependents.
The one-child policy is now changing. The policy is mostly still strongly enforced in urban areas whilst in rural areas the policy is relaxed to
allow two children if the first child is a daughter. In urban areas couples are often allowed to have two children if they were both only
children themselves. The new government installed in 2012 is discussing relaxing the one-child policy further .
Types of migration
Immigration: moving into a country
Emigration: moving out of a country
Illegal immigrant: moving into a country without the
necessary permission e.g. visa
Economic migrant: someone who moves for a better job
or salary
Internal migrant: someone who moves within a country
International migrant: someone who moves between
countries
Forced migrant: someone who has to move due to war,
natural disaster or persecution
International Migration: Mexico to the USA
POSITIVES
NEGATIVES
USA
• Most migrants are young adults
which is good for the workforce
• Some workers will pay taxes
which will support American tax
base
• Migrants are consumers of
goods and services
• Migrants create demand so
more jobs are created
• Migrants fill low paid jobs that
Americans don’t want
• Migrants have higher birth rate
which could put pressure on
schools, hospitals etc
• Migrants tend to be low skilled
and such jobs are not required in
a modern economy
• Migrants ask for lower wages
which undermines American job
seekers.
MEXICO
• Less unemployed workers in
Mexico
• Less people for the Government
to support
• Workers in the USA send money
back to Mexico (remittances)
• Young male population severely
decreased so few working
people in Mexico
• Less tax income to fund
initiatives to improving life in
Mexico
Asylum seeker
Asylum seeker: someone who is seeking to stay
in a country as their life is at risk in their home
country. A refugee is someone who’s asylum
application has been successful.
- You need to be able to explain why countries
like the UK accept asylum seekers and the
associated positive/negative effects.
Ageing population
The UK has an ageing population. This means
there is an increasing proportion of elderly
people. This can bring many problems for a
country.
BBC Bitesize: dealing with an ageing population