PSY 3123 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Birth Rate, Total Fertility Rate, Combined Oral Contraceptive Pill

• School: University of Ottawa
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSY 3123
• Professor: Kristel Thomassin

Document Summary

Structural functionalists focus on having children as necessary function of family in perpetuating society. Developmental approach sees having children as developmental task of most families. Con ict theorists suggest social pressure to have children re ects prevailing ideology. How families with children have greater social advantages that those without. Systems theory looks at how decision to have children creates different subsystems that affect family dynamic. Ecological approach looks at how wider social context in uences decision to have children. Also determines experiences of families with children. Symbolic interactionists focus on personal reasons for having or not having children. Feminist theories tend to study child-bearing as an issue re ecting women"s control over reproduction. Various reasons, both personal and social, for having children. Having a child results in change in status and is a marker event. Over past 50 years, signi cant drop in canadian fertility rate. Women are now focussing more on their careers and having children later.