List and briefly describe the seven factors that affect a country's average birth rate and total fertility rate

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

1. The importance of children as part of the labor force. If children are needed to work for the family and bring in income, birth rates will be high.
2. The cost of raising children. In developed countries, the high cost of raising children tends to discourage large families.
3. Pension or retirement funds for the elderly. In countries without pension or retirement funds, children are viewed as security for their aging parents. This leads to higher birth rates.
4. Urbanization. People living in urban areas have better access to family planning services and tend to have fewer children.
5. Educational and employment opportunities for women. Fertility rates tend to be low when women have access to education and paid employment outside the home. Better educated women tend to marry later in life.
6. Religious beliefs, traditions and cultural norms. In some countries these factors will lead to higher birth rates.
7. Availability of birth control and legal abortion. These options allow women to control the spacing of the number of children they have.