British population and society in 2025: Some conjectures

The paper examines three aspects of demographic change and conjectures abou t their wider impact on British society. Two features of fertility behaviou r are highlighted. The first deals with ethnic Variations and the likely co ntinuation of high fertility rates amongst women of South Asian origin. The second involves the continued bifurcation between career women and those f or whom motherhood remains a central life project. international migration is also assessed and the contradictions within the 'Fortress Britain' strat egy exposed. Britain will continue to receive migrants from overseas and Br itish society will become increasingly multi-ethnic. The paper also examine s the tensions between an increasingly ageing population and the developmen t of increased ethnic and cultural diversity. The paper concludes with some implications of these changes for the discipline of sociology itself.