Sociology - Family Essay Example
In this essay I will examine the reasons for the changes in the birth rate and family size since 1900.
Since the 1900 there have been changes in the state polices, changes in attitudes and changes in our living standards which have led to unbalanced changes in birth rates and family size. Firstly in the early 1900’s there was no health service and a poor quality of life and there had been an industrial revolution know has industrialization which had meant that many workers and their families had left their homes and extended families to live in houses that were crammed together along narrow streets, poorly built, and incredibly crowded. Whole families were packed into attics, cellars, or single rooms which caused many diseases. This had meant there was high rate of infant mortality that led to a decline in birth-rate as families couldn’t afford to look after lot and pay for treatment of the children so gradually larger families that consisted of around 7 children revolved into a nuclear family which consisted of 2 or 3 children. Gradually we developed a National Health Service known as the NHS, which provides point at delivery health service for free to all its patients, this then led to a decline in infant mortality and had meant that people had a better quality of life and people started looking into building a family and the birth rate increase as now there was a free health service which was accessible to everyone. After the world war there was an a great increase in birth rates in the United Kingdom due to the soldiers coming back from war this had meant that many women had become pregnant this was known as the baby boom. In the 1960 feminism rose and caused a shift in the attitudes and shaped many of the state policies. For example the government introduced the Abortion Act & legalization of contraception as well as equally rights for women to work. Due to feminism and state policies there was been a shift in attitudes and social stigma and it has become
Since the 1900 there have been changes in the state polices, changes in attitudes and changes in our living standards which have led to unbalanced changes in birth rates and family size. Firstly in the early 1900’s there was no health service and a poor quality of life and there had been an industrial revolution know has industrialization which had meant that many workers and their families had left their homes and extended families to live in houses that were crammed together along narrow streets, poorly built, and incredibly crowded. Whole families were packed into attics, cellars, or single rooms which caused many diseases. This had meant there was high rate of infant mortality that led to a decline in birth-rate as families couldn’t afford to look after lot and pay for treatment of the children so gradually larger families that consisted of around 7 children revolved into a nuclear family which consisted of 2 or 3 children. Gradually we developed a National Health Service known as the NHS, which provides point at delivery health service for free to all its patients, this then led to a decline in infant mortality and had meant that people had a better quality of life and people started looking into building a family and the birth rate increase as now there was a free health service which was accessible to everyone. After the world war there was an a great increase in birth rates in the United Kingdom due to the soldiers coming back from war this had meant that many women had become pregnant this was known as the baby boom. In the 1960 feminism rose and caused a shift in the attitudes and shaped many of the state policies. For example the government introduced the Abortion Act & legalization of contraception as well as equally rights for women to work. Due to feminism and state policies there was been a shift in attitudes and social stigma and it has become