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.
