soci011 - module 17 (hs13) - industrial societies: population, family, women

Module 17 (HS13) - INDUSTRIAL SOCIETIES: POPULATION, FAMILY, & THE CHANGING ROLE OF WOMEN

0. OBJECTIVES

In this module we try to understand the impact of industrialization on

the demographic transition (decline in death rate and delayed decline in birth rate) and its impact on population growth
the role of the decline in communicable diseases in the longevity increase
the trend toward smaller families and the loss of many historical functions of the family
the increase in the divorce rate
the changing roles of women in industrial societies

1. POPULATION

1. Growth of World Population and in the Size of Societies

Exhibit: Growth of world population 400 BC - 1990 AD

2. The Demographic Transition

During industrialization, population grows quickly at first and then stabilizes because of the demographic transition. The demographic transition is characterized by FIRST a decline in the death rate (because of progress in sanitation, food distribution, & medicine) followed WITH A LAG by a decline in the birth rate (because of changing motivations for having children & greater availability of birth control technology)

The lag between the decline in death rate and decline in birth rate produces a period of rapid population growth during the transition

Exhibit: Crude birth & death rates of industrializing agrarian societies (HS 5th edition Table 13.2 p. 364)

Exhibit: Crude birth & death rates of industrializing horticultural societies (HS 5th edition Table 13.6 p. 384)

Exhibit: Crude birth & death rates of industrial societies (HS 5th edition Table 10.5 p. 271)

It is useful to keep in mind ballpark figures for the birth and death rates of 40 for agrarian societies, and 10 for industrial societies (births or deaths per 1,000 population per year)

Exhibit: The Demographic Transition - schematic representation (HS Figure 13.1 p. 307)

Exhibit: The Demographic Transition circa 1970 (Nielsen 1994 Figure 4 p. 663)

Q - In agrarian societies prior to the Industrial Revolution, birthrates (per 1,000 population per year) averaged about ___ while today in industrial societies they average about ___ ?

Q - The term "demographic transition" refers to what phenomenon?

Q - What role did the demographic transition play in the great improvement in living standards experienced by industrial societies?

3. Health & Longevity Trends

Q - What is a ballpark estimate of the life expectancy of a newborn in a typical industrial society?

A major factor of decrease in death rate and increase in longevity was a tremendous decline in deaths due to communicable diseases

Deaths per 100,000 population per year (HS table 13.1 p. 306, modified)
Cause of Death	Massachusetts 1860	U.S., 1900	U.S., 1996
Influenza and pneumonia	N/A	202	31
Tuberculosis	365	194	0.5
Gastritis, enteritis, etc.	N/A	143	0
Typhoid fever	76	31	0
Diphtheria	68	40	0
Smallpox	27	N/A	0
Measles	18	13	0
Scarlet fever	N/A	10	0
AIDS	0	0	16.4*

*death rate for AIDS in 1995 (peak mortality year for AIDS epidemic)

Comparison with the current AIDS epidemic:

Exhibit: Deaths from AIDS 1987-1997

2. FAMILY

1. Trend Toward Smaller Families

As a result of the demographic transition, families in industrial societies have fewer children than in the past.

Exhibit: Children born to British couples ca. 1860 & ca. 1925 (HS Table 13.3 p. 314)

2. Changing Functions of the Family

The family has lost many of its historic functions (EX: role as primary economic unit, in education, in care of the ill & the elderly, in food preparation)

This trend reflects the general trend toward specialization in industrial societies

Q - Are there any functions of the family left?

3. Trend of Increasing Divorce Rate

This trend reflects the greater independence of individuals from the family

Q - Compared to periods of economic prosperity, during an economic depression the divorce rate is:

higher?
about the same?
lower?

Why?

We can verify our intuition with a look at the historical trend in divorce rate in the U.S.:

Exhibit: Annual divorce rates in the U.S. 1860-1978 (Cherlin 1981, Figure 1-4 p. 22)
Exhibit: Proportion of marriages begun in each year that will end in divorce, 1867 to 1973 (Cherlin 1981, Figure 1-5 p. 23)

We can also look at other social/historical trends that may affect divorce and use regression analysis to assess the impact of these trends on the divorce rate:

Exhibit: Divorce, unemployment, and female labor force participation - U.S. 1920-1996
Exhibit: Marriage, births, and military personnel on active duty - U.S. 1920-1996
Exhibit: Time-series regression analysis of the divorce rate - U.S. 1920-1996

Q - What is the most important general explanation of the increase in the divorce rate in industrial societies?

3. THE CHANGING ROLE OF WOMEN

declining size of the family (see above)
participation of women in the educational expansion

Exhibit: Sex ratio of high school graduates 1870-1970 (from assignment)
Exhibit: Degrees awarded to men and women (HS Table 13.4)

increased female labor force participation (outside the home)

Exhibit: Female labor force participation by age 1890 to 1996 (HS Figure 13.2 p. 316)
Exhibit: Female labor force participation by birth cohorts 1926-30 to 1951-55 (Alderson n.d.)

relative earnings disadvantage of females

Exhibit: Ratio of women's to men's income, 1970 to 1995 (HS Figure 12.5 p. 301)
Exhibit: Female/male hourly earnings ratios, 1967-90 (Blau and Kahn 1995, Figure 3.1 p. 106)
Exhibit: Ratio of women's to men's income (HS Table 12.4)

Q - Among industrial societies, in what country is the greatest income disparity between men and women found?

Why the income disadvantage of women?
Child-bearing role of women -> pattern of interrupted employment ->

seniority & experience of women less than those of men
women may tend to choose jobs that permit easy exit & reentry
employers may practice statistical discrimination (= treating an individual as the average member of his/her group)

increasing female participation in the polity

Exhibit: % parliamentary seats held by women in industrial societies (HS Table 12.3 p. 302)

Q - How does the U.S. compare to other industrial societies with respect to participation of women in the polity? Why?

Q - "The most fundamental cause of change in the role of women in industrial societies is the emergence of feminist ideology." (TRUE/FALSE)?

Q - "Inequality between the sexes in modern industrial societies is less than it has ever been before in human societies." (TRUSE/FALSE)?

Q - "Among important causes of the continuing occupational disadvantage of women in industrial societies, sociologists include the lesser capacity of women for leadership." (TRUSE/FALSE)?

Q - "The term 'statistical discrimination' refers to the undercount of certain groups (such as Hispanic immigrants and homeless people) in population censuses." (TRUE/FALSE)?

Last modified 2 June 2000