Our Changing Population

by Gill, Richard; Glazer, Nathan; Thernstrom, Stephan A.

• ISBN13: 9780136426615
• ISBN10: 0136426611
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1991-11-14
• Publisher: Pearson

Summary

Appropriate for undergraduate courses in Population Studies and Social Problems. Based upon the latest demographic data, this text provides a nontechnical study of American population changes from sociological, historical, and economic perspectives.

Table of Contents

Preface	x
Part I: HISTORIC POPULATION TRENDS IN AMERICA	1	(72)
Too Many People, or Too Few?	3	(16)
The Study of Population---Why It Matters	4	(3)
Populations Change in Unexpected Ways	6	(1)
Human Decisions Affect Population Change	6	(1)
The Deep Consequences of Those Decisions	7	(1)
The Historic Drive for More People	7	(2)
The Smallness of World Population in Premodern Times	8	(1)
The Vulnerability of Premodern Populations	8	(1)
Large Populations Were Considered National Assets	8	(1)
The Dismal Science of Malthus and Ricardo	9	(1)
The Malthusian Ratios	9	(1)
The Ricardian Systematization	9	(1)
Filling Up a Continent	10	(2)
The Smallness of Our Early Population	10	(1)
Our Effective Land Resources Were Increasing	11	(1)
Population Growth as a Positive Asset	11	(1)
Enter the Population Explosion	12	(2)
The Population Revolution in the LDCs	12	(1)
The Baby Boom in the Early Postwar Period	13	(1)
Have We Overshot the Mark?	14	(1)
The Task before Us	15	(4)
Summary	16	(1)
Key Concepts for Review	17	(1)
Questions for Discussion	17	(1)
Notes	17	(2)
Our Historic War against Mortality	19	(17)
Three Basic Components of Population Change	20	(1)
The Importance of Declining Mortality	21	(1)
The Theory of Demographic Transition	22	(1)
Where Are the Killers of Yesteryear?	23	(4)
The General Course of U. S. Death Rates	23	(3)
Tuberculosis: A Case Study	26	(1)
New Killers, New Age Groups	27	(3)
Infectious Diseases Give Way to Chronic Diseases	28	(1)
Life Expectancies at Different Ages	28	(2)
Have We Really Done All That Well?	30	(6)
The American Indian ``Holocaust''	30	(1)
The Variety of Mortality Histories	31	(1)
Deficiencies and Uncertainties	32	(1)
Summary	33	(1)
Key Concepts for Review	34	(1)
Questions for Discussion	34	(1)
Notes	35	(1)
The Flight from Fertility	36	(18)
Fertility and Fecundity	37	(4)
Fecundity versus Fertility	37	(1)
Measures of Fertility	38	(3)
A Brief Survey of U. S. Fertility History	41	(2)
U. S. Fertility and the Demographic Transition	43	(3)
Death Rates and Lowered Fertility	43	(1)
From Rural-Agricultural to Urban Industrial	44	(1)
Pervasive Technological Change	45	(1)
The Changing Role of Women	45	(1)
The Fertility Decision: How Rational Is It?	46	(3)
Fertility as a Conscious Decision	46	(1)
Calculations of the Demand for Children	47	(1)
Analysis of the Baby Boom and Bust	47	(2)
Variations in American Fertility	49	(5)
Summary	50	(1)
Key Concepts for Review	51	(1)
Questions for Discussion	51	(1)
Notes	51	(3)
America on the Move	54	(19)
The Peopling of Colonial America	55	(2)
The Population Explosion in Colonial America	55	(1)
Slavery	55	(1)
Colonial Immigration	56	(1)
Westward Movement	57	(1)
The Mass Immigration of the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries	57	(6)
The Old Immigration	58	(2)
The New Immigrants	60	(1)
Immigration since the 1920s	61	(2)
Patterns of Internal Migration	63	(10)
People in Motion---A Constant	63	(1)
Westward Expansion and Settlement	64	(2)
The Urban Frontier	66	(1)
Suburbs and Inner Cities in the Automobile Age	67	(2)
Growth of the Sunbelt	69	(1)
Summary	70	(1)
Key Concepts for Review	71	(1)
Questions for Discussion	71	(1)
Notes	71	(2)
Part II: THE OLDER GENERATION	73	(68)
The Aging Society	75	(17)
The Population Pyramid	76	(3)
Why America Has Been Aging	79	(2)
Aging in the Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries	79	(1)
Baby Boom and Bust	80	(1)
Increased Life Expectancies at Older Ages	81	(1)
From Pyramids to Rectangles	81	(1)
Some Characteristics of an Aging America	82	(4)
The Possible Dependency Burden of the Elderly	82	(1)
Changing Proportions of Men and Women	83	(2)
Minorities and the Young	85	(1)
The Aging Society---Better Than the Alternatives?	86	(2)
Rationing Medical Care for the Elderly	86	(1)
Return to the Baby Boom?	87	(1)
Increased Immigration	87	(1)
The Window of Opportunity	88	(4)
Summary	89	(1)
Key Concepts for Review	89	(1)
Questions for Discussion	89	(1)
Notes	90	(2)
Is There a Crisis in Social Security?	92	(17)
A Capsule History of Social Security in the United States	93	(4)
Social Security and the Great Depression	93	(2)
Rediscovery of Poverty and the Great Society	95	(1)
The Impact on the Well-Being of the Elderly	96	(1)
Dual Goals and Methods	97	(1)
Equity versus Adequacy	97	(1)
Funding versus Pay-as-You-Go	97	(1)
The Crisis of the Early 1980s	98	(3)
Causes of the Crisis	98	(1)
The 1983 Social Security Reform	99	(2)
Factors Favoring the Viability of Social Security	101	(2)
Some Underlying Questions	103	(6)
Issues Involving the Social Security Trust Fund	103	(2)
Will Economic Growth Solve Everything?	105	(1)
Summary	106	(1)
Key Concepts for Review	107	(1)
Questions for Discussion	107	(1)
Notes	107	(2)
To Work or To Retire?	109	(16)
The Complicated Trend toward Earlier Retirements	110	(3)
Declining Labor Force Participation of Elderly Males	110	(3)
Labor Force Participation of Elderly Females	113	(1)
Retirement and the American Dream	113	(2)
Surveys Suggest Americans Want to Retire Early	113	(1)
The Affordability of Retirement	114	(1)
Personal Satisfactions of Retirement	114	(1)
Voluntary, Involuntary, and Semivoluntary Retirements	115	(2)
Should an Aging Society Promote Later Retirement?	117	(2)
We Must Encourage Later Retirements	118	(1)
Early Retirement Is an Affordable Blessing	119	(1)
Of Pyramids and Rectangles Again	119	(2)
Exploring New Options	121	(4)
Summary	122	(1)
Key Concepts for Review	122	(1)
Questions for Discussion	123	(1)
Notes	123	(2)
Health Care and the Elderly	125	(16)
The Revolution in Health Care Expenditures	126	(2)
Health Care in the Aging Society	128	(2)
The Health Care Needs of the Elderly	128	(1)
A Medicare Crisis Looming?	129	(1)
Containing Costs: A Counterrevolution?	130	(3)
Cost Containment through DRGs	130	(1)
Rationing Medical Care?	131	(2)
Mortality and Morbidity	133	(3)
The Two Conflicting Trends	133	(1)
Will Morbidity Ultimately Be ``Compressed''?	134	(2)
Alzheimer's Disease: Symbol of Hope or Despair?	136	(1)
What Should be Done Now	137	(4)
Summary	138	(1)
Key Concepts for Review	139	(1)
Questions for Discussion	139	(1)
Notes	139	(2)
Part III: ADULTS: YOUNG AND MIDDLE AGED	141	(92)
The ``Traditional'' American Family	143	(18)
Fundamental Characteristics of Family Life	144	(1)
The ``Traditional'' American Family	145	(1)
The Colonial Family	146	(2)
The Emergence of the ``Traditional'' Family	148	(4)
Industrialization and Urbanization	149	(1)
Women's Work	149	(1)
Reduced Fertility	150	(1)
Reduction of Certain Other Family Functions	151	(1)
The Cult of Domesticity	152	(1)
Varieties of American Families	152	(2)
Immigrant Families	152	(1)
Black Families	153	(1)
Depression, War, Baby Boom	154	(7)
Summary	158	(1)
Key Concepts for Review	159	(1)
Questions for Discussion	159	(1)
Notes	160	(1)
A Tale of Two Generations	161	(17)
Having and Raising Children	162	(4)
Childlessness	162	(1)
Nonmarital Childbearing	163	(1)
Abortion	164	(1)
Living Arrangements of Young Children	165	(1)
In and Out of Marriage	166	(1)
Age at First Marriage	166	(5)
The Never-Married	167	(1)
Nonmarital Cohabitation	168	(1)
Marital Dissolution	168	(1)
Remarriage	169	(1)
Household Composition and Family Type	169	(2)
Revolution in the Work Force	171	(7)
Labor Force Participation of Men	172	(1)
Labor Force Participation of Women	173	(1)
Education and Occupations of Women	173	(1)
Summary	174	(1)
Key Concepts for Review	175	(1)
Questions for Discussion	176	(1)
Notes	176	(2)
Working Wives and Mothers	178	(18)
Distinction between Sex and Gender	179	(1)
Wives and Mothers at Work	180	(4)
The Dual-Earner Family	181	(1)
Working Mothers	182	(1)
Women's Earnings	183	(1)
Why Are Wives and Mothers in the Work Force?	184	(4)
Demographic Factors	184	(1)
Technological Factors	185	(1)
Economic Factors	186	(1)
Social Factors	187	(1)
Political Factors	187	(1)
Necessity, Option, or Both?	188	(3)
Areas of Concern	191	(5)
The Gender Gap	191	(1)
Are Our Children Being Cared For Properly?	192	(1)
How Are Men Adjusting to the New Roles of Women?	193	(1)
Summary	193	(1)
Key Concepts for Review	194	(1)
Questions for Discussion	194	(1)
Notes	195	(1)
The American Male---Liberated or on the Run?	196	(17)
Historical Overview Of Men's Roles	197	(3)
Changing Nature of Men's Work	197	(1)
Men's Relationships with Women	198	(1)
Men's Role as Fathers	199	(1)
Who Is Liberating Whom?	200	(2)
How Much Has Changed in Practice?	202	(6)
Changes on the Job Front	202	(2)
Male Participation in Housework	204	(2)
Men's Discharge of Paternal Responsibilities	206	(2)
Can Divergent Paths Converge?	208	(5)
Summary	210	(1)
Key Concepts for Review	210	(1)
Questions for Discussion	211	(1)
Notes	211	(2)
Black America---Two Steps Forward	213	(20)
Population Percentages: Decline and Rise	214	(3)
Black Population Trends	214	(1)
From 1790 to 1930: Why the Sharp Decline?	215	(1)
From 1930 to 1990: Why the Increase?	216	(1)
Projections to 2080	217	(1)
Of Migrations---People and Jobs	217	(3)
Forced Migrations	217	(1)
Three Great Migrations	217	(2)
Recent Trends	219	(1)
Two Steps Forward	220	(4)
Political and Civil Rights	220	(2)
Economic Progress and the Emerging Black Middle Class	222	(2)
...and One Step Backward?	224	(2)
Different Perspectives on the Problems of Black America	226	(7)
Summary	228	(1)
Key Concepts for Review	229	(1)
Questions for Discussion	229	(1)
Notes	230	(3)
Part IV: THE CHILDREN	233	(76)
The Changing Worlds of Childhood	235
Childhood in Preindustrial America	236	(2)
Childhood in an Industrializing America	238	(4)
From Little Workers to a Protected Childhood	238	(1)
Increasing Sentiment toward Children	239	(1)
The Crucial Role of Education	240	(2)
Strange Interlude	242	(3)
The Child-Centered Home Revitalized	242	(1)
The Generation Gap	243	(2)
The Equivocal Status of Today's Children	245	(3)
Continuity or Competition?	248	(6)
Summary	249	(1)
Key Concepts for Review	250	(1)
Questions for Discussion	250	(1)
Notes	250
Children in Poverty	203	(68)
The Extent of Child Poverty in America	254	(4)
Measuring Poverty	254	(1)
Children versus Other Age Groups	255	(1)
Poverty among Children by Family Type	256	(1)
Child Poverty by Race and Ethnic Background	257	(1)
What Happened to the War on Poverty?	258	(3)
The Uncooperative Economy	259	(1)
The Case for Renewing the War	259	(1)
In the War on Poverty, Poverty Won	260	(1)
Role of the Family	261	(2)
Poverty among Black Families with Children	263	(3)
Some Hopeful Notes	266	(5)
Summary	268	(1)
Key Concepts for Review	268	(1)
Questions for Discussion	269	(1)
Notes	269	(2)
Who's Watching the children?	271	(18)
The New Child Care Arrangements	272	(5)
Primary Care Arrangements for Children of Employed Mothers	273	(2)
Secondary Child Care Arrangements	275	(2)
The Inadequacies of Present Arrangements	277	(2)
Is Day Care the Way to Go for Young Children?	279	(5)
Day Care Is Here to Stay and Must Be Expanded	280	(2)
Parental Care Is Superior and Should Be Encouraged in Every Way Possible	282	(2)
The 1990 Child Care Legislation	284	(1)
The ``Sleeper'' Issues	285	(4)
Summary	286	(1)
Key Concepts for Review	287	(1)
Questions for Discussion	287	(1)
Notes	287	(2)
Educating the Next Generation	289	(20)
Education for Our Changing Population	290	(2)
Achievements and Crises	292	(4)
Testing: Criticisms and Consequences	296	(2)
``Weak Arguments, Poor Data, Simplistic Recommendations''	296	(1)
The Possible Consequences of Decline	297	(1)
The Great School Debate(s)	298	(5)
Underlying Problems	298	(3)
School Reform	301	(2)
The Challenge Remains	303	(6)
Summary	304	(1)
Key Concepts for Review	305	(1)
Questions for Discussion	305	(1)
Notes	305	(4)
Part V: THE NEWCOMERS	309	(78)
Immigration Old and New	311	(18)
The Sources of American Immigration	312	(2)
European Immigration in the Agrarian Era	312	(1)
European Immigration in the Industrial Era	312	(2)
Early Immigration from Asia and Latin America	314	(1)
Postindustrial Immigration: The Rise of Third World Migrants	314	(1)
The Causes of Immigration	314	(3)
Push and Pull Factors in the Industrial Era	315	(1)
Push and Pull Factors in the Postindustrial Era	316	(1)
Gauging the Flow of Annual Immigration	317	(2)
The Changing Characteristics of Immigrants	319	(3)
The Impact of Immigration	322	(7)
Immigration and Population Growth	322	(2)
Immigration and Economic Development	324	(2)
Summary	326	(1)
Key Concepts for Review	327	(1)
Questions for Discussion	327	(1)
Notes	327	(2)
Through the Golden Door	329	(18)
Historical Origins of Asian Immigration	330	(3)
The Evolution of Asian American Society, 1850-1965	333	(3)
The Rural Frontier: Sojourner Society	333	(1)
Sojourner Society to Middleman Minority	334	(1)
Sojourner Society to Insular Ethnic Groups: The Case of Hawaii	334	(1)
Sojourner Society: Filipino Americans	335	(1)
The Beginnings of Metropolitan Society	335	(1)
The Second Wave of Asian Immigration	336	(1)
Metropolitan Society in the Age of New Immigration, 1965 to the Present	337	(5)
Ethnic Solidarity and Historic Mobility Strategies	342	(5)
Mutualism and Group Discipline	342	(1)
Economic Strategies: Work, Savings, and Education	342	(1)
Summary	343	(1)
Key Concepts for Review	344	(1)
Questions for Discussion	345	(1)
Notes	345	(2)
Have We Decided to Control Our Borders?	347	(17)
Hispanic Doors to the United States	348	(2)
``We were here first, gringo!''	348	(1)
The Swinging Door, 1900-1965	349	(1)
1965 to 1986	350	(1)
Why Should the United States Have Been Concerned?	350	(4)
The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986	354	(1)
What Has Been the Effect of IRCA?	355	(3)
Reduction of Illegal Immigration	355	(2)
Effects of the Legalization Program	357	(1)
An Underlying Question	358	(1)
Immigration Issues for the 1990s	359	(5)
Summary	361	(1)
Key Concepts for Review	361	(1)
Questions for Discussion	362	(1)
Notes	362	(2)
The Hispanics: Is the Pot Still Melting?	364	(23)
Assimilation and Pluralism	365	(1)
Hispanic Demographics	366	(5)
A Multiplicity of Hispanics	371	(9)
The Seeds of Diversity	371	(3)
A Profile of Socioeconomic Diversity	374	(6)
Prospects for Integration: Spatial, Cultural, and Political Issues	380	(7)
Linguistic Pluralism	380	(2)
Political Participation and Hispanic Interests	382	(1)
Summary	382	(1)
Key Concepts for Review	383	(1)
Questions for Discussion	383	(1)
Notes	384	(3)
Part VI: OUR POSTERITY	387	(75)
Can We Live Long and Live Well?	389	(18)
Squaring the Curve	390	(1)
Continuing Our Historic Progress against Mortality	390	(1)
The Debate over the Rate of Advance	391	(1)
How Long Could We Live?	391	(6)
Extension of the Maximum Life Span	391	(1)
Theories of Aging	392	(4)
But Is Aging Subject to Intervention and Control?	396	(1)
How Well Will We Be?	397	(1)
Good Health at Older Ages Can Be Promoted by Our Behavior	397	(1)
Extending the Number of Youthful Years	398	(1)
Socioeconomic Consequences of Very Long Lives	397	(6)
The Economics of Span Extension	399	(2)
Social and Institutional Changes	401	(2)
Generational Relations	403	(4)
Summary	404	(1)
Key Concepts for Review	404	(1)
Questions for Discussion	405	(1)
Notes	405	(2)
Does the Family Have a Future?	407	(17)
What ``Family'' Are We Talking About?	408	(2)
The ``Inevitable'' Decline of the Family	410	(3)
Basic Demographics	410	(1)
Economic Considerations	411	(1)
General Sociopolitical Trends	412	(1)
The ``Inevitable'' Resurrection of the Family	413	(4)
Demographics Favoring the Family	413	(1)
The Unfortunate Economics of Single-Parent Families	413	(1)
Societal Trends Have Been Changing Direction	414	(3)
The Family and the Corporation	417	(2)
Public Policy toward the Family	419	(5)
Summary	421	(1)
Key Concepts for Review	422	(1)
Questions for Discussion	422	(1)
Notes	422	(2)
Will the Poor Always Be with Us?	424	(20)
Income Distribution over Time	425	(2)
A Rising Tide or a Great U-Turn?	427	(3)
Possible Sources of Future Poverty	430	(2)
Economic Slowdown	430	(1)
Differential Fertility	431	(1)
Weakened Family Structures	431	(1)
Failure of Welfare Programs	431	(1)
The Great Productivity Question	432	(2)
The Differential Fertility Question	434	(4)
Historical Mobility	434	(1)
Minority Group Status versus Social Characteristics	434	(1)
Black Fertility Trends	435	(1)
Hispanic Trends	436	(2)
Can the State Help Find the Solution?	438	(6)
Dilemmas of Welfare Policy	438	(1)
Money versus Structured Assistance	439	(2)
Summary	441	(1)
Key Concepts for Review	441	(1)
Questions for Discussion	442	(1)
Notes	442	(2)
The United States and the World Population Explosion	444	(18)
Birth Dearth versus Population Explosion	445	(2)
Progress or Poverty?	447	(4)
Postwar Development in the LDCs	448	(1)
Evidence of Falling Fertility Rates	449	(1)
Too Rosy a Picture?	450	(1)
Impacts on the United States and the West	451	(6)
Humanitarian Considerations	452	(2)
Ecological and Environmental Concerns	454	(2)
Geopolitical Concerns	456	(1)
Two Scenarios	457	(5)
Pessimistic View	457	(1)
Optimistic View	458	(1)
Summary	459	(1)
Key Concepts for Review	460	(1)
Questions for Discussion	460	(1)
Notes	461	(1)
Postscript: Choosing Our Posterity?	462	(12)
The Developing Range of Human Choice	463	(1)
The Genetic Revolution	464	(1)
Achievements in Process	465	(2)
Important Concerns Already Exist	467	(1)
Gene Therapy	468	(3)
Posterity Choice and the Parental Connection	471	(3)
Notes	472	(2)
Appendix: Introduction to Demographic Analysis	474	(19)
I. Basic Factors in Determining Population Size and Composition	474	(1)
II. Data Sources for Population Estimates and Projections	475	(9)
A. The Decennial Census	475	(1)
Census Underenumeration	475	(1)
The Issue of Adjustment	476	(1)
Estimating the Level and Distribution of Undercount	476	(2)
B. Fertility Data	478	(1)
Crude Birth Rate	478	(1)
Age-Specific Birth Rates	479	(1)
Total Fertility Rate	479	(1)
C. Mortality Data	479	(1)
Crude Death Rate	479	(1)
Age-Specific Death Rates	480	(1)
Life Tables and Life Expectancy Indices	480	(2)
D. Data on Gross and Net International Migration	482	(1)
Illegal Entries	482	(2)
Emigration	484	(1)
III. Assumptions Underlying Population Projections	484	(9)
Combining Various Assumptions to Create Alternative Scenarios	484	(6)
Summary	490	(1)
Notes	490	(2)
Bibliography	492	(1)
Photo Credits	493	(1)
Index	494