To what extent is the ageing aspect of western populations a challenge for their states?

Résumé du document

People in western countries seem to be tending to live longer and the ageing fringe of these populations is becoming important in relation to the younger groups. This feature is often described as a problem for societies and as a challenge, or even a threat, for Welfare States. In this paper, we wonder whether this new feature of western populations is a problem, and if so, for which reasons it is. In this paper, we are going to define the problems that the ageing characteristic of western countries populations creates, focusing on the economic branch of this 'social problem' and on the changes in terms of values and of social position that are linked to it. The ageing aspect of western countries populations is often described as an important internal challenge Welfare States must face. Moreover, the changing values that are linked to this new feature of modern societies also affect Welfare States.

Extraits

[...] Changing values, changing social positions. The second half of the 20th century did not only bring economic changes, but also and maybe mainly changes in terms of values which affected the social structure and relations of modern societies, and especially elderly persons. Harry R. Moody presents different theories 7 Pearson, Maggie, Introduction: The ageing of the population: an issue for Europe, in “Experience, skill and competitiveness: the implications of an ageing population for the workplace” of ageing8 that tend to explain how societies are changing regarding this new demographic and social feature. [...]

[...] The ageing aspect of modern countries' populations is definitely taking more and more importance as a public and social issue. The financial part of this problem is actually less important than it is often said or assumed. Despite the predominance of economy in these modern societies, the economic aspect of the exclusion of elderly persons from the society is only a part of this exclusion process. Old-aged people also feel outdated regarding the development of new technologies and the whole society tends to give a more and more predominant place to young generations developing new values from which elderly people are excluded. [...]

[...] Moody1 explain how modern societies react to this demographic feature and how the social structure is changing. As the theories presented by Moody are fairly different, it enables us to get a wide view on this issue even if some aspects are not necessarily taken into account. The main shortcoming of this study is that it is theoretical and analysis the ageing issue globally as the big trends and changes it leads to, but does not use detailed figures. The main reasons for this choice is that the demographic tendencies are pretty similar in western developed societies and that it is also hard (or even impossible) to find some objective facts and figures concerning values and attitudes developing in these societies. [...]

[...] The Modernity theory (Cockerham 1997) underlines the effect of technological progress on social structure and relations, and explains the declining status of the elderly by this continuous modernization of societies. This theory observes that the status of the ageing fringe of the population is inversely related to technical and technological progress because old people very often feel outdated regarding these changes and hence tend to loose their 8 Harry R. Moody, P.296: Theories of Aging, in “Aging. Concepts and Controverses”, 4th edition, Fine Forye Press. former social position. This feeling is mainly due to the high-speed of the technological changes and tend to diminish their understanding of things. [...]

[...] Health expenditures tend to increase while people get older, and medical interventions are more and more necessary to maintain people healthy. In the same time, health facilities and more generally health costs increase constantly as health technologies are developed so that people can live healthier and older. Very diverse facilities must be implemented to meet their very different needs, which is not economically profitable or sustainable as these people are not expected to re enter the labour market nor to participate to the economy in any way, except by paying taxes and by paying the rights to stay in these facilities. [...]