The Demographic Transition pt.3

The demographic transition model explains changes in the natural increase rate as they relate to economic and industrial development. This is a process with four stages (some people can argue that there are five) and every country in in one of them. Stage one consists of high birthrates and death rates and consequently very low growth, no country today is in this stage. Stage 2 consists of high growth because death rates have declined and birthrates remain high. When a country goes through the Industrial Revolution. Developing countries have moved into stage 2 because of the medical revolution- diffusion of medical technologies due to LDCs. The sudden decline in death rates that come from technological innovations has now occurred everywhere. Stage 3 countries move from stage 2 to stage 3 when the crude birth rates drop sharply as a result of changes in social and economic patterns that will encourage people to have less children. People are more likely to live in nuclear families in an urban and industrial world. The drop of birth rates comes in social custom has yet to be achieved in many countries. Stage 4 birth rates will continue to decline until the natural increase rate drops to zero. This occurs because of more changes in social customs such as women entering the labor force in larger numbers.