Demographic Transition

Today we read a packet on Demographic Transition. It is a 4 stage process. It is the change in society's population from high crude birth and death rates and a low rate of natural increase to low crude birth and death rates, low rate of natural increase, and higher total population. The 1st stage has high birthrates and deathratecs and a very low growth. No country is still in stage 1. Stage 2 has a high growth because death rates decline and birthrates remain the same. The two things that impacted most countries into stage 2 was the Industrial Revolution and the Medical Revolution. Stage 3 has crude birthrates that dropped sharply as a result of changes in social and economic patterns that will encourage people to have fewer children. In stage 4 birthrates continue to drop until their rate of natural increase is 0. In this stage women enter the labor force in large numbers. Some countries think there is a stage 5 where the population declines but the Demographic Transition doesn't count it.That's all for today.