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Sociology · Class 12 Arts

Ch 1The Demographic Structure of the Indian Society — Class 12 Sociology, concept-first.

Demography — literally, from the Greek demos (people) and graphein (to describe) — is the systematic study of population: how it changes in size, how births, deaths and migration pattern themselves over time, and how a population is composed by sex, age, and similar categories.

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Demographic Transition Theory

Think about what happens when a family moves from a village to a city. In the village, families often have many children — partly because children help with farm work, and partly because not all children survive to adult…

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Chapter contents

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2.0

Introduction

Demography — literally, from the Greek demos (people) and graphein (to describe) — is the systematic study of population: how it changes in size, how births, deaths and migration pattern themselves ov…

2.1

Some Theories and Concepts in Demography

Thomas Robert Malthus, an English political economist, put forward one of the most famous theories in demography in his Essay on Population (1798). His outlook was deeply pessimistic.

2.1.1

The Malthusian Theory of Population Growth

Thomas Robert Malthus, an English political economist (1766–1834), gave one of the most famous — and most pessimistic — theories of population growth.

2.1.2

The Theory of Demographic Transition

This theory links population growth directly to a society’s level of economic development. It argues that every society moves through a predictable pattern of population change as it develops.

2.2

Size and Growth of India’s Population

India is the second most populous country in the world, after China. According to the Census of India 2011, the total population stood at 121 crores (1.21 billion).

2.3

Age Structure of the Indian Population

India is a young country. This is the single most important fact about its age structure. The majority of Indians are young, and the average age of an Indian is lower than that of people in most other…

2.4

The Declining Sex-ratio in India

The sex ratio — the number of females per 1,000 males — is a key measure of gender balance in a population.

2.5

Literacy

Literacy is not just the ability to read and write — it is a prerequisite to education and a powerful instrument of empowerment.

2.6

Rural-Urban Differences

The vast majority of India’s population has always lived in rural areas, and that remains true today. According to the Census of India 2011, 68.8% of the population lives in rural areas, while 31.2% l…

2.7

Population Policy in India

India’s population policy is over half a century old. In fact, India was perhaps the first country in the world to announce an official population policy, in 1952.

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+Show 6 questions6 questions
  1. Q1Explain the basic argument of the theory of demographic transition. Why is the transition period associated with a ‘population explosion’?Free
  2. Q2Why did Malthus believe that catastrophic events like famines and epidemics that cause mass deaths were inevitable?Free
  3. Q3What is meant by ‘birth rate’ and ‘death rate’? Explain why the birth rate is relatively slow to fall while the death rate declines much fas…Preview
  4. Q4Which states in India have reached or are very near the ‘replacement levels’ of population growth? Which ones still have very high rates of…Preview
  5. Q5What is meant by the ‘age structure’ of the population? Why is it relevant for economic development and growth?Preview
  6. Q6What is meant by the ‘sex ratio’? What are some of the implications of a declining sex ratio? Do you feel that parents still prefer to have…Preview
+Show 7 questions7 questions
  1. Q1Distinguish between the birth rate and the death rate, and explain what the rate of natural increase measures.Free
  2. Q2What does the theory of demographic transition say happens to birth rates and death rates as a society develops?Free
  3. Q3What is meant by the ‘demographic dividend’? Under what conditions could it turn into a liability rather than an advantage?Free
  4. Q4Distinguish between the sex ratio and the child sex ratio, and explain why the two can move in different directions.Preview
  5. Q5Why has India’s literacy rate varied so sharply across social groups and across states?Preview
  6. Q6What changes has the chapter described in the rural-urban distribution of India’s population?Preview
  7. Q7What were the main aims of the National Population Policy, 2000?Preview