Sociology 1, Chapter 13

Internal Migration

- "pull" to economic opportunities and better housing - movement to the south and the west

> Economic factors

- Affects the number of children per family. Ex: during economic depressions, rate of fertility drops due to lack of family resources - U.S. closure of factories = lower life expectancy for white males

> Political systems

- Governments are either pro-natal (encourage fertility by additional benefits for parents and their children) or anti-natal (efforts to lower large populations, such as China)

> Education

- More education, especially for women = smaller families and longer lives - Less education = larger families

Urbanization

- Pattern of movement from rural areas to cities

Urban ecosystems

- Under stress

Malthus theory of population

Argued that humans are driven to reproduce and will multiply excessively without checks imposed to slow population growth. Food supplies grew arithmetically while population grew geometrically (a future where famine is possible)

Infant Mortality

Malnutrition, lack of medical care, epidemics such as ebola, droughts and famine, diseases, wars and civil strife. A key indicator of a country's well-being.

International Migration

People move due to wars, unrest, famine, lack of opportunities, a better life awaits if they can reach it. - These migrants change the size and characteristics of populations around the world

Environmental justice movement

People who work to address environmental racism. A race- and class- based distribution of environmentally hazardous materials as seen in the location of toxic dumps and landfills predominantly poor and minority communities

Neo-Malthusians

Population growth is a problem, but due to the damage to the eco systems it causes. Rich country populations like that of the U.S. are a threat due to over consumption of scare resources.

Demographic Transition Theory

Links population increases and decreases to economic development. - Links birthrates and death rates with patterns of economic and technological development - Not a solution for poor countries - Does not take into account the role of migration - Poor countries cannot export their surplus populations

Conflict Theory of population

Poverty is caused by the social structure and lack of opportunity, not over population - Overpopulation is the result of poverty, not the cause - Socialists believed if you equalize opportunities this would enable societies to decrease populations - The gap between rich and poor countries is getting bigger. Rich countries are exporting the problems caused by their populations to the rest of the world

Population pyramids

Pyramid-shaped diagrams that illustrate sex ratios and dependency ratios

> Religion

Some religions are against women using contraception. Or religions (such as Mormons) want women to have more children

Youth-dependency ratio

The number of children under age 15 divided by the number between 15 and 64. These figures are taken as the general ages when individuals are not contributing to the labor force. They represent the economic burden of people in the population who must be supported by the working-age

Life expectancy

The number of years a person in a particular society can expect to live

Dependency Ratio

The ratio of those in both the young and aged groups compared with the number of people in the productive age groups between 15 and 64 years old.

Demography

The study of human populations

Migration

movement of people from one place to another - People weigh the benefits of moving vs the costs