Ageing populations


 

Start  on page 169.

You must be able to evaluate the implications of an ageing population complete this table

 

Some Links to follow:

 

In 1948 life expectancy in the UK was 66 while today it is 78. For the first time there are more people over the age of 65 than there are under the age of 18. 

Why is it happening?  What are the implications of this?

 

UN Warning - Oct 2012

 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog+world/population

 

National statistics  and take a look at this interactive map

 

The population of pensionable age will rise by 32% over the next 25 years to 15.6m, with the number aged over 85 more than doubling to 3.3m read more...

 

The UK government has raised the pensionable ages for men and women and introduced 'Automatic Enrolment' into Pensions as of Oct 2012

retiring at 65 is no longer compulsory!

 

Is it a burden or a boon?  read this article...

 

video clips worth watching from the BBC... social care  prospects?

 

Dementia - a national crisis?

 

How long can we all live for?  over 100 and rising...

 

 

How can the UK government manage its ageing population to ensure sustainable development? 

 

examples of UK government benefits for working families

 

use this document to help  

Outline and assess one country’s attempts to manage population change to achieve sustainable development (15)

 (follow this example to complete your answer)

 

 

It isn't just the UK...

 

China - the consequence of the one child policy...

 

Italy

 

geofile - read the section onItaly

 

Germany - cities in trouble? Sept 2013 BBC news

 

Japan 

 

USA

 

Why not implement pro-natalist policies?  - read this abstract -  

 

Many Western European governments have increased their financial assistance to families. Only France and Luxembourg, however, have adopted a specific demographic target--the return to replacement-level fertility. Some countries like the Netherlands, with high population densities, profess to welcome the prospect of a decrease in population size. Others, like Great Britian, have always resisted the idea of population policy. A key to the cautious response of low-fertility nations lies in 3 factors that shape the way political elites perceive demographic trends and possible solutions. 1st. and most importantly, public demand for population policy is weak.

Historically, European pronatalist policies were associated almost exclusively with centralized and authoritarian states and somewhat monistic societies. Today, by contrast, democratic governments in pluralistic societies must be responsive to the numerous and diverse interest groups that have gained access to the political process. 2nd, there is a lack of confidence in any of the pronatalist measures that have been proposed. Western European governments today do not have the option of addressing the birth rate directly by restricting access to contraception or legal abortion. They recognize that financial incentives have not prevented the decline of fertility. Finally, the rationale for pronatalist policy is not compelling. In the past, pronatalist sentiment was largely based on the belief that a nation's military power and diplomatic influence derived from the size and growth rate of its population. At the most practical level there are distinct limits to governments' ability to finance the measures they deem necessary. More profoundly, governments are encountering difficulties in formulating a pronatalist policy. Conscius that traditional family policies have not prevented the decline of fertility, and ignorant of the precise reasons for the fall, political leaders are now considering a more encompassing approach that might bring about a fundamental reshaping of society. But the greatest impediment to governmental decision making is that ordinary people do not want a pronatalist policy.