Families and Households: 2.2.3 Ageing population

Question 1

Ageing population: statistic

Answer 1

• More elderly people in the population (2011: 9.2 million people over 65 = 1/6 of the population)
• 2014: the number of people 65+ equalled the number of under 15s
  2040: there will be as many 78 year olds as 5 year olds

Question 2

What three factors have contributed to the ageing population?

Answer 2

• Increasing life expectancy
• Decrease in infant mortality
• Declining fertility

Question 3

State the effects of the ageing population

Answer 3

• Public services
• Changes in family structure
• Single person pensioner households
• Dependency ratio
• Policy implications
• Ageism

Question 4

Effects of the ageing population: public services

Answer 4

• Older people consume a larger population of services such as health and social care, esp. true of the old old
• Changes to policies and provision of housing, transport
• EVALUATION: cautious in making generalisations as many old people remain in good health

Question 5

Effects of the ageing population: changes in family structure

Answer 5

• Increase in extended families due to increased life expectancy
• With people living longer, there’s been an increase in beanpole families

Question 6

Effects of the ageing population: single person pensioner households

Answer 6

• Those living alone has increased
• Single person pensioner households accounts for 1/8 of all households (most are women as they live longer and younger than their husbands
• “Feminisation of later life” - over 75s, more women over men

Question 7

Effects of the ageing population: dependency ratio

Answer 7

• The non working are an economically dependent group who needed to the provided by those of working age
• 2015: 3 people of working age for every pensioner

Question 8

Effects of the ageing population: policy implications

Answer 8

• Hirsch: important social policies need to change to tackle the new problems posed by an ageing population / financing a longer age can be done by paying more into savings while working or working for longer
• Housing policy needs to change to encourage people to trade into smaller accom., improving standard of living and more space for younger people

Question 9

Effects of the ageing population: ageism

Answer 9

• A result of “structured dependency” as the old are excluded from paid work making them economically dependent on their families/the state
• Modern society: status is determined by role in production, they are no use to capitalism so the state are unwilling to support them adequately
  EVALUATION: POSTMODRENISM
• Life stages have been broken down and we have greater freedom over our lifestyle
• Old have become for body maintenance where they can create their identities e.g. cosmetic surgery, ant-ageing products, breaking down ageist stereotypes