Demography- Ageing population

Question 1

The economic costs of an ageing population

Answer 1

pensions ‘pay as you go’
- NI contributions, current workforce pay for pensions of current elderly people
- pension age is rising to 67 from 2026

Question 2

Why is the NHS in high demand?

Answer 2

Funded from tax payers, rapidly expanding elderly population

Question 3

How do the government currently fund social care, pensions, NHS?

Answer 3

They pay national insurance tax which comes out of the current workers wages to fund the current elderly population

Question 4

Why are there issues with the current dependency ratio?

Answer 4

There are too many elderly people relying on pensions and there aren’t enough working people to pay tis tax as it doesn’t make up for the demand

Question 5

What are the solutions to the dependency ratio?

Answer 5

Allow private pensions/savings within being employed
- make the age to access a pensions much higher

Question 6

What are the governments solutions to the dependency ratio?

Answer 6

Increase the age of people being able to access a pension

Question 7

What are key changes occurring in relation to the families and family life because of an ageing population?

Answer 7

1- An increase in elderly couple households and elderly on person households
2- Extended family ties and residential proximity
3- A rise in bean pole families and the sandwich generation
4- Changing attitudes to ageing

Question 8

1- An increase in elderly couple households

Answer 8

3.7% live in sheltered housing or residential homes, majority remain in their own
- disability or ill health, one will be primary carer (mainly women)

Question 9

What are the issues for he family and society does this create?

Answer 9

Pressure on the wife
- impact on her health
- standard of care not very high

Question 10

1- An increase in elderly on person households

Answer 10

47%, above state pension age
68% are female
Chambers- ‘feminisation of later life’

Question 11

Why is the feminisation of later life an issue for families today?

Answer 11

Elderly will receive less help from heir family members
1- people move away and have less involvement
2- smaller families, less people to ask
3- changing role of women, less free time, working
Same sex couples, no children, no help

Question 12

2- Extended family ties

Answer 12

• excluded from paid work
• dependent on extended relatives
• identity and status determines by our productivity
• powerless identity`

Question 13

2- Extended family ties
PHILLIPS

Answer 13

Marxist, argues that the elderly are no longer useful as they don’t contribute to capitalism, state doesn’t support them adequately

Question 14

How can we challenge PHILLIPS?

Answer 14

Alleviate stress from parents as they contribute to childcare, less strain on nursery workers, daycare people
- spend money on economy
e.g. holidays ‘silver pound’

Question 15

2- Extended family ties
WALL

Answer 15

1950- 40% of elderly had been taken in by their relatives
mid 1990s- 5%

Question 16

How does VICTOR criticise WALL?

Answer 16

Found that this type of family may be seeing slight revival, particularly homes with ‘granny flats’
- 10% over 65s living with extended relatives

Question 17

What impact may have immigrations had on 2- Extended family ties?

Answer 17

Cultural diverse views in family- higher obligations to extended family
- moving places, wouldn’t leave them

Question 18

2- Extended ties and regional proximity

Answer 18

Increased contact with extended relatives, positive
- see relatives on a weekly basis, social contact and support

Question 19

Why so HEALEY n YARROW say this is a concern for feminists?

Answer 19

Move in with daughters
60% of females are informal carers
- women more likely to give up work for elderly relative, increasing their economic dependence
- quality of family relationship may decline if they move into home

Question 20

3- Beanpole families

Answer 20

An ageing population and declining birth rate have led to families which are more likely to be generational
( the bean pole family)

Question 21

What is a bean pole family?

Answer 21

More generations alive at the same time but less people in each generation
- family tree is long and thin

Question 22

What impact has the bean pole family had on children and grandparents?

Answer 22

BRANNEN- children are more likely to have closer ties with great/grandparents as there are fewer aunts, uncles and cousins

Question 23

What is the sandwich generation?

Answer 23

Middle-aged people expected to care for both elderly relatives and children/grandchildren
10% in 50s an 60s care

Question 24

Grandparenting

Answer 24

47% of people aged over 50 look after their grandchildren for an average of 10 hours a week
- responsibility for this care tends to fall more on grandmothers

Question 25

What sorts of material did grandparents offer their grandchildren?

Answer 25

Offer financial support such as pocket money

Question 26

In what ways do children benefit from having regular contact and interaction with their grandparents?

Answer 26

When they are younger grandparents spend time with them on outings or playing together When they are older they give them advice and support by talking to them - they have someone to listen to them

Question 27

How does the relationship between grandparents and grandchildren change over time?

Answer 27

It goes from playing to talking as they teach them things when they are younger and advise them when they are older

Question 28

What are the strengths of grandparents living with a nuclear family as part of a multigenerational extended family?

Answer 28

Have a stronger relationship as you are spend more time together as you are less separated - less pressure on mothers to care for grandchildren

Question 29

What are the weaknesses of grandparents living with a nuclear family as part of a multigenerational extended family?

Answer 29

May be expected to look after the child which is not fair as the mother and father should be responsible, puts pressure on grandparents

Question 30

What do trends in death rates and life expectancy show?

Answer 30

An increase in ageing population

Question 31

Why is the sandwich generation a concern for feminists?

Answer 31

The majority of the time it is the female family members that cares for both generation, put their career on hold whilst the man continues to work Or they move in with their daughters

Question 32

Why is an increase in the dependency ratio a negative consequence of an ageing population?

Answer 32

The elderly people are dependent on relatives to look after them - the state give them a pension - drain the economy rather than contribute to it

Question 33

What solutions have the government given in relation to an ageing population?

Answer 33

Create a private pension so that they do not rely on the state for financial help

Question 34

What do postmodernists say about the ageing population today?

Answer 34

- consumption not production is an important art of our identity today - the silver pound - can buy our way out of ageing

Question 35

How can this be criticised?

Answer 35

Fail to see the inequalities amongst different types of elderly people - ageism - wealth, class, gender