Demographic Transition Model Essay

Words: 379
Pages: 2

The demographic transition model shows the pattern of growth through four stages. During the first stage both the birth rate and the death rate are high which causes the population to not increase at a rapid rate. All counties experienced this when they were in danger of a reduction of the population by epidemics. During stage two the levels of nutrition increases and medical sciences advance causing the death rate and the infant mortality rate to drop significantly. However, the birth rate is still high causing the rate of natural increase to be high. The reason for high birth rates in stage two is a result of children becoming handy assets to their families. Stage three begins when birth rates begin to fall. Children were looked at more of …show more content…
During this stage, birth rates and death rates remain at a higher rate but are slowly dropping. At this point the rate of natural increase is still at a positive rate but is slowing down. In stage four, death rates and birth rates remain low. Also, populations are stabilizing and TFRs are either at or below replacement levels. Most countries today are either at or nearing stage four of the demographic transition. Some countries have death rates that remain at a low stable level and birth rates that have dropped below the replacement level. Demographers once labeled this as the fifth stage of demographic transition but now it is the start of the second demographic transition. A second demographic transition refers to the change of social attitudes that creates shifts in demographic transitions. Women are now obtaining jobs, day care services are available but limited, urban housing is short, abortion has become legal, and people enjoy material things instead of old fashion ways of staying home to bear and raise children. Also, lowering fertility rates is a result of having to spend more time on education, putting off marriages, moving in together without being married, and environmental and ethnical perceptions of the growth of populations. Each country today is at a different stage in demographic transition causing there to be differences between fertility and death