But it was also a time of a rapidly rising population in this country, which helped with our industrialization. Now the reverse is true, where many countries are facing contracting populations where women aren't giving birth to enough children to sustain our current populations. With contraception becoming increasing available globally all fertility rates are dropping.
Unfortunately, our welfare system requires an ever growing workforce to fund the most expensive time of our lives to governments and that is when we are pensioners.
Ah, you have missed a point there Rods2.
In fact during the British industrialization women tended to have large families, not just for the reason I have stated previously, but because out of 14 children born, they could end up with just 7 surviving past five years of age, due to very poor medical help, bad sanitation, lack of food, and the environment. All that also meant low life expectancy amongst those that reached adult hood, with many working class only expected to live into their thirties. Add to that the extreme risks to women when in child birth, with very high fatality rates.
That pattern had repeated itself into the third world countries, where high birth rates were the norm due to all the facts the British witnessed in the 19th century.
Now those in the third world do generally have better medical assistance, better food and water supplies, and therefore have cut the number of children they have. There are exceptions of course, but generally in Asian countries, and those on an arc down to North Africa the situation is now much improved. The average is now down to about 3 children per couple.
This is good as the food and water will go further, although the worlds overall population is reckoned by experts in this field to increase to 9 billion by 2050, and 11 billion+ by 2100. This is when human housekeeping will really be put to the test!
Of course the number/percentage of the overall population living to over 70 years of age will help the population growth figures. We are now definitely living longer which will place extra strains on our support systems.
Author
Topic: Not an expression I was familiar with. (Read 2609 times)