Demographic Transition Model Essay

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One of the ways in which to determine which stage in the Demographic Transition Model a country is in is by the birth rate of the country, Italy is country (a) and the United States is country (b). In country (a) there is a very low birth rate. Italian women are opting to have children later in life and not wanting to have large families, this comes as a result of the hardships of making enough money to support a child. It is a lot more difficult for women to establish a strong monetary foundation at a semi-early age and as a result they are having children much later in life compared to previous life trends. The amount of children that have been born recently compared to years prior has dropped by 70%, the result of this change results in the birth rate being below the replacement rate. In country (b) there is also a decline in having children at an early age, “boomers” have also begun to have children at a later point in their lives. …show more content…

In country (a) there is a steady death rate whereas on the other hand in country (b) the life expectancy of adults has risen dramatically. As a result, one-eighth of “boomers” aged 40-60 years are both raising their children and taking care of their parents that are in old age. The taxes that are being collected in country (a) are paying for the care of both parents and grandparents, this results in economic hardships and why it is so difficult in order for women to have children. Country (a) is in stage five of the Demographic Transition where, it was discussed in the text and in class that, birth rates drop below death rates as a result the population declines. This is a result of the unstable economy and shrinking amounts of family members. Country (b) is in stage four of the model where birth and death rates are both low and because of this the population is high while the average age of death is very

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