In many parts of the world, the proportion of older people is increasing. Do the advantages of this trend outweigh the disadvantages for society?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Elderly population is increasing
Advantages
- Industrial expertise ( Older individual ) at the verge to help young minds who are growing in their career.
Disadvantages
- Though, it would have caused great depression in the nation, meaning elderly populace could contribute to society on a physical level.
- As individuals tend to get older, the factory comes along with medical attention. If spending was in the medical sector instead of overall development of a nation it may slow down the growth of a country.
There has been a profound debate about the dominance of the elderly in the demographic composition. A lobby is quite enthusiastic about the pros this pattern can bring, while some feel the opposite. This essay shall examine both points and render a plausible conclusion.
An army of individuals states an aging population contributes to a more stable and crime free society since they are less likely to engage in antisocial endeavors, leading to a noticeable decline in crime rates. Furthermore, these individuals tend to lead simpler, and frugal lifestyles, which eventually results in reduced levels of consumption, and consequently, less social and material wastage. For corroborate, a study conducted by University of Harvard stating countries such as Germany and Italy, have shown that older age groups spend significantly less on fashion, electronics, and disposable goods compared to their younger counterparts, precipitating lower social wastage, and exploitation of resources.
Nevertheless, some had a different opinion on this phenomena, stating as people age, they typically require more medical attention; consequently, exerting pressure on national healthcare budgets, forcing policy makers to divert funds from other essential sectors such as infrastructure, education, or technology. For example, countries with rapidly ageing populations like Japan are already facing budgetary challenges due to increasing healthcare and pension costs.
Moreover, although, undeniably, aging individuals contribute intellectually, it comes with consequence, their ability to participate in physically demanding jobs tends to decline, by virtue of dearth of able-bodied skilled labour in key industries such as agriculture, construction, or manufacturing, ultimately impacting economic productivity.
In hindsight, while the growing elderly population brings some benefits like reduction in crime and social wastage, these factors are likely to have serious ramifications, especially healthcare costs and reduced workforce participation can be significant, something that can hardly be disregarded.