FACTORS AFFECTING THE FERTILITY RATE

What is the Fertility Rate?

• The average number of children borne by women during the whole of their child bearing years

FACTORS AFFECTING FERTILITY

Demographic Economic

Socio-cultural

Political

Environmental

DEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS

• Age structure of the population• Age of consent / marriage• Socio-economic group

ECONOMIC FACTORS

• Poverty• Development• Perceived economic cost of children• Perceived economic benefit of

children

SOCIAL and CULTURAL FACTORS

• Religion and race• Status symbol• Infanticide• Role of women in society• Cultural behaviour / tradition• Literacy

POLITICAL FACTORS

• Birth control policies• Pro-natalist agreements encouraging

population growth e.g. France• Anti-natalist policies e.g. China

ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS

• Rural / urban• Health• IMR• Quality of environment e.g. Water

purity

SUMMARY• It is impossible to separate the 5 factors of fertility• They all overlap

• KQ 1.6 – looks at the demographic challenges facing countries.• But we can also link these case studies to KQ 1.2 :• Think about how the demographic, social, economic and

political factors can cause population change: • Case Studies• France – pro natalist (read newspaper clipping)• China – One Child Policy (later )• UK – cost of raising children (newspaper clipping)