JKR: The Ageing Population Flashcards
What is happening to the average age of the UK population?
It is rising and there are fewer young people and more old people.
What do Age Pyramids do?
They illustrate the change of age profile of a population.
What does Hirsch say about the age pyramids?
Traditional ones are disappearing. Estimates that by 2041, there will be as many 78 year olds as 5 year olds.
Why do we have an ageing population? (3)
- increased life expectancy
- declining infant mortality
- declining fertility rates
How are Public services affected by an ageing population?
We may need more medical care services specialised for old people as they consume a larger proportion of health services.
We may have to pay more tax for pensions.
How have one person households been affected by an ageing population?
The number of pensioners living alone has increased - 12.5%.
Most are female.
What is the Feminisation of Later Life?
Women live longer than men so there are more old women than old men.
How is the dependency ratio affected by an ageing population?
More old people = more dependant people so we have a higher demand but less supply as there are fewer young people.
Are all old people dependant?
NO, it is wrong to assume this as pensioners may have their own savings and assets.
What else raises the dependency ratio?
Declining number of dependent children (stay on at school longer)
How has Ageism been affected by the ageing population?
It has increased - unequal treatment of people on the basis of their age e.g. assuming all old people are on ‘benefits’ and costing us a lot in tax.
Ageism is said to be the result of…
Structured dependency- everyone is built around how economically active we are so old people are not permitted to work because they are seen as unuseful.
What does Phillipson, a Marxist day about modern society and old age?
The old people are no use to capitalism because they are of no use to the state, unwilling to be given benefits.
In modern society, ho is life structured?
- childhood , youth etc
Age is important in role allocation e.g. being classed as a ‘pensioner’
What do Postmodernists argue?
That the fixed orderly stages of life have broken down e.g. we have teens acting like adults, later marriages etc
What does Hunt, Postmodernist, say about the life stages?
That consumption, not production is our identities now as we can now choose a lifestyle and identity regardless of age.
How do the trends in postmodern society affect the ageist stereotypes?
It breaks it down as the media now presents more positive images of old people and there is an emphasis on surface features- where our body becomes our identity.
Who says that inequalities such as class and gender remain important?
Pilcher - he says that middle class people get better pensions because of their higher salaries and poor people have a shorter life.
Also, women get lower earnings meaning lower pensions - although it is not their fault.
What did Age Concern find?
That 29% of people reported suffering age discrimination than any other form.
What does Hirsch argue about what is needed?
A number of important social policies will need to change to tackle the new problems because of the ageing population.
Give examples of what Hirsch says needs to be changed: (2)
- we need to figure out how we are going to finance a longer period of old age.
- housing policies may need to encourage older people to trade down into smaller accommodation.
