Sociology Demographics of Aging

What is Sociology? so·ci·ol·o·gy /ˌsōsēˈäləjē/ noun The study of the development, structure, and functioning of human society. The study of social problems.

What is Demography? de·mog·ra·phy /diˈmägrəfē/ noun The study of statistics such as births, deaths, income, or the incidence of disease, which illustrate the changing structure of human populations The composition of a particular human population

Demographic Transition

Population Pyramids

1. Entitlement Reform

1. Entitlement Reform

1. Entitlement Reform

1. Entitlement Reform

1. Entitlement Reform Austerity Measures Increase retirement age (more in labor force) Raise taxes on working individuals Reduce services (public pension benefits, social security, health care, etc.) Cost-effective but unpopular. See: Greece.

2. Promote Fertility

I hate to tell you, but 2 is just breaking even. 2. Promote Fertility I hate to tell you, but 2 is just breaking even.

2. Promote Fertility Family Support Policies Family allowances  government cash payments to families on the birth of a child to compensate them for a loss of income or increase in expenses Provide tax credits or tax benefits to help defray the costs of children

2. Promote Fertility Family-Friendly Employment Policies Measures aim to ease the burden of combining work & family responsibilities Providing free or subsidized child care  allow mothers to work Tax breaks for child care Comprehensive state-supported child-care system (Sweden) EXPENSIVE – with limited or no effectiveness shown where tried, so far.

3. Promote Immigration

3. Promote Immigration Immigration Policies Allow more working-age immigrants from developing countries to fill the labor gap in countries with aging populations  “replacement migration” (1st Gen) Immigrants tend to have higher TFR than “native stock” or more established generations  have more children Explicit aspect of U.S. immigration policy (under Reagan – to forestall the crisis we now face again)

3. Promote Immigration Immigration Challenges Downward pressure on wages Racial tensions Language barriers Conflict of cultural values Additional strain on entitlement programs until economically established

What To Do? Reform social welfare programs (austerity)? Encourage women to have more children? Increase young/working-age immigration? Something else?