Europe Populations Dilemmas – Flashcards

country's population-by sex and age groups 0-14, 15-64 and 65 and up wider at bottom = rapid populationgrowth (more babies are born than people that die) narrower at bottom = negative growth (more deaths than babies being born) straight sides = slow population growth (births and deaths nearly equal)

one of the smallest continents in area but 1/8th of the world's people live there this may not be true much longer- 1. Europe has the oldest population of any continent 2. Europe has the lowest birth rate RESULT IS A SHRINKING POPULATION OR NEGATIVE GROWTH

the average number of children a woman in a given population will have in her lifetime. The number is different in different countries. example - 2000 in Italy the TFR is just over 1 baby which is causing the population to shrink

the total fertility rate TFR needed for a population to replace itself. This number varies by country- is 2.1 in most developed countries example-Italy replacement rate is just over 2 babies and the current TFR is only 1....this rate will raise when enough babies are born to replace the people that die each year!

the average age that a person in a given population can expect to live...this varies from country to country. example...life expectancy has increased over the past 100 years...FRANCE has changed from 50 years to 80 years

this is affected by population growth the number of old and young dependendents who don't work compared with the working-age population. The higher the ratio, the more young and old people the workers have to support. example: Europe most under 16 don't work and most over 64 are retired

Before 1750's - slow population growth 1750's - rapid population growth until the 1900's After 1900's most migrated from rural(country) to urban(cities) which caused the birth rates to fall - slowed down population growth By 2000's - entered a period of no or even negative population growth

1. low population growth-high birth rates and high death rates 2. rapid population growth-high birth rates and low death rates 3. slow population growth-low birth rates and low death rates 4. no or negative population growth-both birth and death rates drop to very low levels...and over time birth rates fall behind death rates = SHRINKING POPULATION

-family finances-high housing and living expenses-many need 2 incomes -put off having children to pursue careers and then only want a few children -high cost of childcare discourages big families -use of birth control to limit number of children

-fewer schools and teachers are needed/schools will close and teachers will lose jobs -loss of jobs in other areas related to children -labor shortages will hurt businesses and Europe's ecomony -fewer people in military -loss of power and importance in world

-offer a "birth bonus" of $1,000 -3+ children offered benefits such as reduced rents and lower taxes -pay for daycare -family-friendly policies for working parents maternity leave-paid and no job loss flexible work hours and the right to work part-time

-rise in life expectancy and drop in birth rate -result in more old people and fewer young people -after 1945 baby boom (sudden increase in birth rate) until about 1970 -2000's the first baby boomers will be 50....soon many will retire

-pensions (fixed amount of monies paid to a person from retirement to death by gov't or former employer -health care costs increase - higher chance of disease, costly surgeries, costly medications and for some nursing home care -The monies for these expenses come from taxes paid by the working people..the dependency ratio is rising so in Europe an ever-smaller workforce is supporting an ever-larger eldlerly population -countries budget more money but there are limits to how much workers are willing to be taxed!!!!

-pension costs cut the amount of money each worker receives-not fair raise the retirement age example:Spain workers get a higher pension if they retire after 66 -healthcare preventing health problems is better than treating them providing home care is better and costs less than nursing homes example-Germany, Italy and Austria are encouraging these smarter ways to provide health care to the elderly

-more workers retire each year than join the workforce -the decline will grow worse when the baby boomers retire example: Dependency Ratio will change....getting higher-Germany 2000- 100 workers will support 87 dependents by 2030- 100 workers will support 121 dependents that's a rise of 39%! dependents will outnumber workers

-workforce decline is a problem for businesses who may have to leave, shrink or close because of this shortage -big problem for government-fewer workers mean less tax money just when the dependency ratio is rising

-2004 new immigration law passed because Germany had 75,000 jobs unfilled -this made it easier for Germany to hire workers from other countries -keep older workers working longer -encourage women to work by offering family-friendly policies -move jobs to other countries -encourage immigration to Europe

developed-rich industrial economies high GDP developing-poor agricultural economies low GDP birth rate developed - low because children aren't need to support family or the elderly -govt supports more family planning methods developing - higher because of the role poverty plays...children are expected to support families as gov'ts do not high infant mortality rate

study of human populations birth rates, death rates and migration - how they change over time look for population trends or movements example: In Europe they are tracking a trend toward smaller families