Today due to advanced medicine, people are living longer. Therefore, the number of elders is expected to exceed that of young people. Do the advantages of this development outweigh the disadvantages?
ESSAY #312 FROM OUR BOOK
It is undeniable that we are heading towards a greying society. Demographists predict that there would be fewer youth than the elderly in the near future. Although the population ageing should be seen as a success story, it brings social and economic challenges for the nations. So, it can be said that this situation is equally, positive as well as negative.
On the negative side, fewer youngsters would mean less people working, which will decrease the revenue received by the government from taxes. On top of that, pensions will have to be provided by the governments to the increasing number of the elderly for more years as the life span has also gone up considerably. Moreover, the retirement age may have to be extended and this may lead to youth unemployment. Young people have a lot of energy, which will have to be channelized in the right direction. If they are unemployed, they may resort to petty crime for fulfilling their needs. Finally, health care costs would be four to five times higher on the elderly because of their deteriorating health.
On the other hand, the ageing population can be beneficial in many ways. Firstly, arts and culture benefit from an older populace. It has been seen that the older generation are more actively involved in clubs, such as sports, drama, and other arts. Another major benefit is that older communities are more law abiding and are less inclined to commit crime. The Australian Institute of Criminology has projected that crime rates will drop by approximately 16% by 2050 because of increase in the aging population. This will also be money saved on prisons and policing costs in the future. Last but not least, the older people provide childcare, financial, practical and emotional assistance to family members including helping with the tasks of daily living.
In summary, aging is inescapable. A predominantly old-aged society can certainly have a negative impact as well as a positive impact on a country’s advancement, and so it has to be planned well.
