Aging population : Japan Flashcards
1
Q
Define fertility rate.
A
Number of babies on average per woman
2
Q
Define population structure.
A
Shows how the population is divided up between males and females of different age groups.
3
Q
Define aging population.
A
Populations with a small / shrinking number of economically active, and a high proportion of old dependents, who are over the age of 65 and are dependent on the government for money.
4
Q
Causes of an aging population :
1) Declining / low birth rate pt.1
A
- Economic insecurity : 50% of Japan’s population do not have stable jobs or a stable income, and there is a high cost of childcare. In most families, women stop working when they give birth to look after the family, and so the salary will be cut to half.
- Pregnancy is not covered by health insurance, and the government does not provide much for families with children. Women must pay for their own medical check-ups, medical care, etc. Free healthcare is only given to children up to the age of 3.
5
Q
Causes of an aging population :
1) Declining / low birth rate pt.2
A
- Delayed marriage, and many remaining single - 30.7 for men, and 29 for women, only 58.9% is married. This means that they will have less children in their lifetime. This can be because women feel that getting married restricts their freedom. Gender inequality is very high in Japan.
- Many women also decide to pursue a career or education, and not have children.
6
Q
Causes of an aging population :
2) Long life expectancy
A
- Long life expectancy, helped by healthy and balanced diets. Advanced and easily accessible healthcare
70% of the cost of all health procedures are paid for by the government, 90% for low income citizens
7
Q
Causes of an aging population :
3) Low immigration rates
A
- Low immigration rates. Only 1.8% of Japan’s population is foreign. Japan has long discouraged immigration, fearing the loss of culture and potentially higher crime rates
8
Q
Consequences of an aging population :
1) Shortage of economically active 2) Higher dependency ratio
A
- By 2060, 36% of Japan’s population is expected to be over the age of 65
- Shortage of economically active. leading to a lower development + innovation. Companies ( e.g. Sony ) have had to increase their salaries to attract foreign workers, and high wages might deter foreign investment.
- Higher dependency ratio (67.4 dependency ratio ). Economy will fall because work productivity goes down due to less workers
9
Q
Consequences of an aging population :
1) Increased burden on elderly warfare 2) Closure of schools 3) Ghost towns
A
- Increased burden on on elderly warfare. ¥16 trillion was spent on healthcare for elderly over the age of 75. Not enough care services / homes. Government having to spend an increasing amount of money on pensions
- Schools closing down because of the lack of students. Because of this, students have to travel further, and almost 400 schools close a year.
- Emergence of ‘ghost towns’
10
Q
Solutions of an aging population :
1) New Angel Plan 2) Raising ages for retirement 3) Encouraging private pensions
A
- New Angel Plan. It aims to increase birth rates by paying for part of the childcare, offering counselling to couples, encouraging fathers to partake in child raising, and building more convenient daycare centers, and reducing education costs. Improved working hours for mothers with young children. Reduce long working hours to let fathers have more time at home.
- Raising ages for retirement and pension eligibility. Raised to 65 in 2018, from 60. Public pensions can be drawn anywhere from ages 60-70, but greater monthly payments for those that start 65+
- Encourage private pensions
11
Q
Solutions to an aging population
A
- Encourage immigration + foreign workers
- Encouraging healthy lifestyles for elderly, because the elderly that live healthily can work longer and later on in their lives
- Giving financial benefits to those with more children.
