This glossary is provided as a tool for studying
this chapter. Keep it handy while you read, in order to find definitions
of unfamiliar words, or of familiar words that may have an unfamiliar meaning
in the context of this chapter.
If
you do not find the term you are looking for on this page, try the complete
glossary.
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Age structure: The relative proportions of a population in different
age classes.
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Baby boom: A period from 1945 to the mid-1960s in which the average
fertility rate in the United States was over 3 children per woman.
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Birth rate: The number of babies born per year per 1000 population.
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Cohort: A group of individuals of similar age.
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Death rate: The number of deaths per year per 1000 population.
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Demographic transition: The process by which a human population
goes through a growth pattern, including an early phase of high birth and
death rates, an intermediate phase of high birth rates but low death rates,
and a later phase of low birth and death rates.
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Doubling time: The length of time needed for a population to double
in size. It is a function of the growth rate.
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Fertility rate: The average number of children that women in a given
population bear in their reproductive years.
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Guest worker: A person allowed in a country on a temporary basis
in order to increase the available labor force in that country.
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Illegal immigrant: A person who enters and lives in a country in
violation of that country's laws.
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Malthus: British economist who wrote (1798) that populations increase
geometrically while food supplies increase arithmetically.
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Migration: The movement of people from one area to another in response
to warfare, environmental degradation or perceived better opportunities.
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Natural increase: In demography, the net change in population without
regard to migration. It is the birth rate less the death rate, and it can
be positive or negative.
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Neo-Malthusianism: Modern advocates of Thomas Malthus's ideas; those
who advocate birth control to avert overpopulation and who see overpopulation
as ultimately leading to widespread malnourishment and famine.
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Population dynamics: The study of the rapidity and causes of population
change.
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Population pyramid: A graphic representation of the number or portion
of males and females in each of several age categories in a population.
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Replacement level: The number of births that will replace a population
at the same size, without reduction or rise; also called Zero Population
Growth.
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Zero population growth: A term applied to the fertility rate needed
to attain a stable population over a long period of time.
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