... woman.(Khoo, 2003: p41) When compared to other developed countries, this rate is relatively low. Low fertility has implications for a population in areas such as sustainability, population demographic and the economy. This paper looks at some of these issues and how they could potentially affect Australian society at the current low fertility levels, and whether or not the current birth rate should be a matter of concern. Implications of birth rate decline One of the major implications of birth rate decline is the development of a negative workplace dependency ratio. This is the ratio of those in the workforce to those not in the workforce. A decreasing birth rate means that the percentage of younger people or those of workforce age (20 - 64) declines, as the percentage of the population of non-workforce age (65+) continues to increase (Barnes, 2001: p.4). This would be a significant change in Australia in the future ...

See this essay or coursework document in full right now