Morris
Sociology Andrea 170
Extra Credit Writing Option
The Population Bulletin that I read was about Americas Aging Population. It
discusses the baby boomer population and notes that the population of people aged 65
and over in the United States, which is currently at 40 million, is projected to more than
double by 2050. This concept of population aging, which we looked at in class, can have
major consequences on a population and is becoming a global phenomenon. Some of the
major strains that the baby boom generation is placing on the country involve local
hospitals, public schools, postsecondary education systems, and the labor force. The
bulletin also points out the importance of the fact that not only is it necessary to look at
the number and share of elderly individuals, but also their characteristics such as health
and disability status, living arrangements, kinship networks, and economic well-being.
Two readings from class that are very relevant to this issue are Ronald D. Lees
writing Global Population Aging and its Economic Consequences, and the portion of
Sawhill and Moneas writing in old news about the Intergenerational Contract. Lee
explains the concept of population aging and discusses exactly what causes it to occur.
Mainly, population aging is a result of a decrease in fertility as well as a decrease in
mortality. This is just what is noted in the bulletin, where baby boomers are growing
older in a society with constantly improving health care allowing them to lead longer and
healthier lives, and the number of young Americans is not nearly as large as it was in the
postwar baby boom. The intergenerational contract reading takes a very interesting
stance on the issue, posing that changes be made in our social security system to address
the issue of our aging population. Currently our system assumes that no on should be
expected to work after the age of 65, that most seniors have insufficient resources to pay
for their retirement and health care on their own, and that young Americans in general
are better off than older ones. While these things all may have been true when the Social
Security system was put in place, it has not kept up with our changing society. The
reading proposes that by making changes in the system we can lessen the burden on the
younger generations and create a more fair and system. balanced This is just one possible
solution to the issue of population aging that is presented in the bulletin.
While bulletin on American population aging does pose many important points, it
leaves many questions unanswered. The bulletin mentions that rapid changes in age
structure of a population due to aging could have major consequences on a population,
but does not provide much detail or information as to what these consequences could be.
It fails to present any specific effects or consequences that we are seeing as a result of this
aging population and does not discuss any ways that we can go about addressing this
issue. While I agree with the authors main points and realize that the movement of the
baby boom generation through the life cycle is resulting in an aging population I feel that
more research needs to be done to address the effects of this fact. The author does bring
up rational points but does not prove that these possible consequences are actually
occurring. I would like to see more evidence that proves the effects of the aging
population on our society and also possibly ways of addressing the issue if it does prove
to be a serious problem. The concepts regarding population aging that are presented in
the Lee reading bring clarity to the issue and show exactly what is happening to our
population. It made it clear to me that we need to look at things such as the dependency
ratios and the generational survival effect to get a better idea of the problem as a whole.
By looking at how many dependents each working class individual is responsible for
assisting and reasons for why people are living longer and other survival factors we can
get a more rounded view on the issue. The reading on the intergenerational contract on
the other hand brings up many valid points and poses one possible way of dealing with
the population problem. Where the bulletin fails to address any solutions to the problem
and simply points out that we are in the midst of what could turn into a major crisis, this
reading poses a very realistic and well thought out way to attempt to solve the problem at
hand. By taking a look at our society as a whole we can work to change the current
system and make changes that will ensure that despite an aging population our country is
able to remain strong and run efficiently.