Essay, Research Paper: The Age-sex Distribution Of The Canadian Population From 1851 To 1999

The demographic changes which have
occurred in Canada have reflected the
growing population of Canada throughout the
sixteenth to the twenty first century. Canada
has experienced a population boom in the last
century, however, it only constitutes for about
one percent of the world's population. The
age sex structure has changed due to a variety
of causes in part due to the impact of western
civilization such as better health and increase
use of birth control.
Relatively greater number of men rather then
women came to New France in the early days
of Canada. This resulted in a imbalance of
men versus women until the late nineteenth
century. The population shifted from a mobile
population to a settler one. The number of
men has not decreased until the late twentieth
century.
The gradual aging of the population during the
twentieth century and the longer life
expectancies for women have eroded the
percentage of men to women. The excess of
men versus women can still be found in rural
communities across Canada, however, in the
cities the reverse has taken place. Women
tend to concentrate in cities due to the
employment opportunities and better social
services. The number of females
outnumbered the males over seventy five
because of the lower male life expectancy
after sixty five.
Canada's population has gradually aged as
the importance of immigration has declined
and natural increase has been the major
factor in the nation's growth in the last one
hundred years. For the first portion of
Canada's history the population was
dominately young. Canada's population has
shifted to a "aged"� population meaning that a
large percentage of the population is going to
be sixty five years old. This is a result of the
baby boomer generation growing old and the
low fertility rate in Canada. This is similar in
other western countries.
The increase in the age of the population has
been a result of falling mortality rates
throughout Canada. This has been due to
improvement of nutrition and medical
services. The decrease of infectious
diseases has also been a major factor,
although, degenerative disease have taken
their place. These are caused by stress and
worsening environmental conditions..
Before the nineteenth century fertility rates in
North America were as high as the present
levels in most developing countries. This was
a result of poor living conditions and lack of
development. This reflected the agricultural
settler society that was Canada at the time.
Large families were needed to farm the land.
After the early nineteenth century the birth rate
declined as living conditions improved. The
population shifted to a more urban society
resulting in smaller family sizes. Birthrates in
Canada have been dropping in recent
decades.
Effective birth control and family planning has
changed the demographics of the Canadian
population resulting in a smaller number
children. This phenomenon came about in
the 1950's when birth control was introduced
to women. Women were given more control
over the number of children they are willing to
bear resulting in lower birth rates in recent
decades.
The age sex structure of Canada has reflected
the changes which have taken place within
Canadian society over the course of the last
two centuries. The implication of the changes
have been wide ranging resulting in smaller
family units and emphasis placed on urban
centers as opposed to rural communities.