Demography - The Ageing Population Flashcards
what is a way of illustrating the changing age profile of the population?
the age pyramid
what do the age pyramids show
these show how older age groups are growing as a proportion of the population, while younger groups are shrinking.
who speaks on the age pyramids and what do they say regrarding it
Hirsch
he notes that the traditional age ‘pyramid’ is disappearing and being replaced by more or less equal-sized ‘blocks’ representing the different age groups
what are the three factors that the ageing of the population is caused by
- Increasing life expectancy = people are living longer into old age
- Declining infant mortality = so that nowadays hardly anyone dies early in life
- Declining fertility = fewer young people are being born in relation to the number of young people in the population.
what effect does the ageing population have on public services but what should we be aware of
older people consume a larger proportion of services such as health and social care than other age groups. [INCREASED EXPENDITURE]
usually true of ‘old old’ (75+) against ‘young old’ (65-74)
however, we should be aware of over-generalising, since many people remain in relatively good health well into age
what is another effect that the ageing population has on public services
changes to polices and provision of housing, transport or other services
what effect does the ageing population has on one-person pensioner households and what are the gender differences
the number of pensioners living alone has increased and one person pensioner households now account for about one in eight of all households.
most of these are female, both because women generally live longer than men, and because they are usually younger than their husbands.
what is the ‘feminisation of later life’
among the over 75s, there are twice as many women as men
why are the non-working old an economic dependent group and how
they need to be provided for by those of working age, for example through taxation to pay for pensions and health care
as the number of retired people rises, this increases …
the dependency ratio and the burden on the working class.
what is a criticism of the dependency ratio
that it would be wrong to assume that ‘old’ necessarily equals ‘economically dependent’
what is an example of this criticism
the age at which people can draw their pension is rising
while an increase in the number of old people raises the dependency ratio …
in an ageing population this is offset by a declining number of dependent children.
what is one consequence of the ageing population in modern society? and what is it
the growth of ageism - the negative stereotyping and unequal treatment of people on the basis of their age.
in what ways does aegism towards older people show itself
- discrimination in employment
- unequal treatment in healthcare
what is the discourse of old age and ageing
it has been constructed as a ‘problem’ for example in terms of the cost of pensions or healthcare for the old.
what does sociologists argue ageism is the result of and
structured dependency - the old are largely excluded from paid work, leaving them economically dependent on their families or the state
in modern society how are our identity and status determined
by our role in production
what do those excluded from production by compulsory retirement have?
a dependent status and a stigmatised identity.
who following a marxist perspective argues regarding modern society and old age?
Philipson - argues that the old are of no use to capitalism because they are no longer productive
what is the result of the marxist perspective
the state is unwilling to support them adequately and so the family, especially female relatives, often has to take responsibility for their care.
in modern society what is it life like? what is age like
life is structured into a fixed series of stages, such as childhood, youth …
age becomes important in role allocation, creating fixed life stages and age-related identities, such as worker or pensioner. the old are therefore excluded from a role in the labour force and made dependent and powerless
what do postmodernists argue regarding society as fixed
that the fixed, orderly stages of the life course have broken down
provide examples of why postmodernists believe fixed society has broken down
trends such as children dressing in adult styles, later marriages and early retirements all begin to blur the boundaries between the life stages. this gives individuals a greater choice of lifestyle, whatever their age.
what is the key to our identities in postmodern society?
consumption not production, we can now define ourselves by what we consume
what does hunt argue about postmodern society and lifestyle
hunt argues that because we can define ourselves by what we consume, this means we can choose a lifestyle and identity regardless of age no longer determines who we are or how we live.
what is the result of consumerism and being able to choose a lifestyle and provide examples
as a result, the old become a market for a vast range of ‘body maintenance’ or ‘rejuvenation’ goods and services through which they can create their identities.
eg;
- cosmetic surgery
- exercise equipment
- gym membership
- anti-ageing products
what do these trends of choosing a lifestyle lead to
these trends begin to break down stereotypes found in modern society.
what are two other features of postmodern society that also undermine old age as a stigmatised life stage
- the centrality of the media
- the emphasis on surface features
what does the centrality of the media do to undermine old age
media images now portray positive aspects of the lifestyles of the elderly
how does the emphasis on surface features undermine old age
the body becomes a surface on which we can write identities. anti-ageing products enable the old to write different identities for themselves
who argues that inequalities such as class and gender remain important
pilcher
why is class inequalities important
the middle class have better occupational pensions and greater savings from higher salaries. poorer old people have a shorter life expectancy and suffer more infirmity (making it more difficult to maintain a youthful self-identity)
why is gender inequalities important
women’s lower earnings and career breaks as carers mean lower pensions. they are also subject to sexist as well as ageist stereotyping, for example being described as ‘old hags’
what theory understates the importance of such inequalities of class and gender
postmodernists
what evidence can we provide that shows that older people also face discrimination that limits their choices?
age concern found that 29% more people reported suffering age discrimination than any other form.
what theorist is related the policy implications
Hirsch
what does Hirsch say regarding policy implications
that a number of important social policies will need to change to tackle the new problems posed by an ageing population.
what will be the main problem for policy implications
how to finance a longer period of old age.
what is the solution for financing a longer period of old age
paying more into our savings and taxes while we are working, or by working for longer, or both
what other policies would need to be change and what would this do
housing policy may need to change to encourage older people to ‘trade down’ into smaller accommodation.
this would release wealth to improve their standard of living and free up housing for younger people.
what does Hirsch recognise comes with these changes
these policy changes also require a cultural change in our attitudes towards old age
what does his view illustrate and provide an example
the notion that old age is a social construct- not a fixed, purely biological fact, but something shaped and defined by society.
for example- in an ageing society, our idea of how old is old enough to retire may change.
