Questions and Exercises

1. What is the subject matter of population studies? How does the subject of population studies differ from demography?
2. What is doubling time? If the rate of growth of India's population declines from 2 percent to 1 percent what will be its impact on doubling time?
3. Define total fertility rate. How is total fertility rate a better measure of fertility than birth rate?
4. What do the demographers do and where do they find employment?
5. Select five developed and five developing countries and find out the birth rate, death rate, total fertility rate and life expectancy for each of them. Do you see a relationship between development and demographic characteristics?
6. Select a sample of five illiterate, married women and five graduate, married women of the same age from your town. Look at the following:
1. At what age did they marry?
2. How many children do they have?
3. How many children do they plan to have in their life time?
4. Which women – illiterate or graduate – have more say in family in matters, like in the number of children they should have?
5. Are the graduate women working or do they have any plan to work?
7. Write short notes on the following:
1. Durkheim's views on population growth
2. Difference between dependency ratio and labour force participation rate
3. Causes of low sex ratio in the age group between 0-6 years
4. Bourdieu's concept of Habitus