GCSE GEOGRAPHY AQA A

POPULATION
REVISION GUIDE

POPULATION Case Studies

In this unit you have studied population. In the examination you will be asked about one or more of these case studies. The question will be worth five marks on the Foundation paper and eight on the Higher, so you need to revise carefully for these. In this unit you have completed a case study for: 1. A population policy - China Policy since 1990s. 2. Pro-Natalist population Policy France 3. Ageing population in one EU Country UK 4. Economic Migration within the EU Poland to UK 5. Refugee Migration to the EU North Africans to Spain. On the following pages you will find some brief notes about each of the destinations above and some practice case study questions.

A population policy - China Policy since 1990s.

In the late 1970s, in an attempt to slow down the rate of population growth, the Chinese government introduced a one-child policy, which decreed that a couple in China could only have one child. The thinking behind the new policy was that China's population growth-rate was unsustainable.

In 1950 the rate of population change in China was 1.9% each year. If this doesn't sound high, consider that a growth rate of only 3% will cause the population of a country to double in less than 24 years!

Previous Chinese governments had actually encouraged people to have a lot of children, in order to increase the country's workforce. But by the 1970s the government came to realise that current rates of population growth would soon become unsustainable.

The one-child policy The one-child policy, established in 1979, meant that each couple was allowed just one child. Benefits, including access to education, childcare and health care, were offered to families that followed this rule, and withdrawn from those that had further children. Fines were placed on families that had more than one child. The one-child policy was keenly resisted in rural areas, where it was traditional to have large families. Many people claim that some women, who became pregnant after they had already had a child, were forced to have an abortion and many women were forcibly sterilised. Impact of the policy The birth rate in China has fallen considerably in the last 25 years, and the rate of population growth is now just 0.7%. Negative impacts - Due to a traditional preference for boys, large numbers of female babies have ended up homeless or in orphanages, and in some cases killed. In 2000, it was reported that 90% of foetuses aborted in China were female. As a result, the gender balance of the Chinese population has become distorted. Today it is thought that men outnumber women by more than 60 million. Long-term implications
China's one-child policy has been somewhat relaxed in recent years. Couples can now apply to have a second child if their first child is a girl, or if both parents are themselves only-children. While China's population is now rising more slowly, it still has a very large total population (1.2 billion in 2002) and China now faces new problems:

The falling birth rate is leading to the population structure becoming unbalanced between young and old, as the relative number of elderly people rises. At the same time there are fewer people of working age to support the growing number of elderly dependents. In the future China could have an ageing population.

A Pro-Natalist population Policy France

France has an ageing population. It is currently encouraging people to have children. Couples are given incentives: 3 years of paid parental leave (for mum or dad) Full time schooling starts at the age of 3, fully paid by government Day care for children younger than 3 is subsidised by government More children a woman has, the earlier she can retire on a full pension.

Ageing population in one EU Country UK

THE UKS POPULATION IS AGEING. Increased Life expectance and Dropping Birth Rate. People are Living Longer due to: Improvements in health care and medicine. Increased leisure and recreation time. Improved knowledge about the importance of a balanced diet and regular exercise. Improved living standards and quality of life

Lots of babies born in 1940s and 1960s (BABY BOOM) Since 1970s numbers of babies born has fallen.

What problems does an ageing population have? Due to improvements in medical facilities, hygiene and vaccines life expectancy has increased. Residential homes Fewer people in economically active group More elderly people living in poverty not enough working population to pay for a decent pension and people have no savings. Increased demands for more pensions. State pension is low and the government is struggling to pay it. Taxes arent enough to cover pensions. Health service is under pressure as older people need more medical care. GOVERNMENT STRATERGIES Raise the retirement ages currently 65 for men and 60 for women. By 2046, will be 68. Work longer = more people paying tax. Encourage immigration of young people to the UK Around 80% of immigrants since 2004 have been 34 years or under. Thus increasing number of people paying taxes. Encourage women to have children working family tax credits support people going back to work after child born. Makes it more affordable to have children. Encourage people to take private pensions - tax breaks for a private pension. People wont be so dependent on state.

Economic Migration within the EU Poland to UK

MOVEMENT OF THE PEOPLE People who come from a country in the EU can live and work in ANY OTHER EU country. In 2004, ten eastern European countries joined the EU. Since then, people from these countries have been moving to other EU Countries. More than half a million people came from Poland to the UK Between 2004 and 2007. PUSH FACTORS FROM POLAND High Unemployment (19%) Low average wages Housing shortages PULL FACTORS TO UK Ease of migration UK allowed unlimited migration in 2004. More work Higher wages Good exchange rate (the pound was worth a lot of Polish currency!)

IMPACTS UPON POLAND Polands population fell Birth rate fell (as most people migrating were young) Shortage of workers in Poland slowing the growth of the economy The polish economy was boosted by money being sent back from UK (about 3 billion was sent to Poland from abroad in 2006) IMPACTS UPON UK The UK population increased slightly Immigration boosted the economy but a lot of the money earnt was sent to Poland. New shops opened selling Polish produce. Many Poles are Catholic so attendance at Catholic churches increased

Refugee Migration to the EU North Africans to Spain.

People have no choice about moving. Forced migrants who move to another country are called refugees. A refugee is someone who has left their home and does not have a new home to go to. Often refugees do not carry many possessions with them and do not have a clear idea of where they may finally settle. There are only PUSH FACTORS for African refugees of war. They flee due to VIOLENCE AND DEATH!

IMPACTS UPON AFRICAN COUNTRIES No impacts on source country during war: Economy and services aren't working No government in place Refugees aren't contributing to economy or being looked after. IMPACTS UPON SPAIN Social tension between immigrants and Spaniards More unskilled workers filled gaps in labour market Average wages for unskilled jobs has FALLEN (as so many people want the jobs Birth rate has increased with so many young immigrants.

EXAM QUESTIONS TO PRACTICE!

1. What measures can be taken to reduce birth rates? (4 marks) 2. Why do some people disagree with controlling population growth? (2 marks)

Describe one way by which a country has tried to cope with a rapid population increase and its implications ( 8 marks)

Describe how governments of richer countries have tried to cope with changes in the population structure (8 marks)

Many MEDCs have an ageing population. Describe how governments are attempting to cope with the problems of an ageing population. (4 marks)

1. Describe an example of economic migration within the EU. What were the key push and pull factors? (6 marks) 2. Give some of the impacts on both the source and the receiving country. (4 marks)

1. Describe and example of refugee migration to the EU. (3 marks) 2. Describe the push factors (2 marks) 3. How has this impacted the source and the receiving country? (5 marks)