In many countries, the proportion of older people is steadily increasing. Does this trend have more positive or negative effects on the society?
Thanks to improvements in standards of living and medical advances, people’s life expectancy has increased to an unprecedented level. This has brought many demographic changes. Today’s society can be called a graying society. This trend has both merits and demerits which I shall highlight in this essay. Overall, the negative effects are much more.
There would be many pros of living longer. In a way, it would be good for people who want to see their grand-grandchildren. Old generation would be able to share more experiences with young generations, so the youth would benefit. The families would get good support of elders and would be able to keep their culture and traditions alive for a longer time. One would get a chance to see frequent changes in technology and lifestyle and enjoy a life full of comforts for more years.
On the other hand, as the people would grow old, they would go on becoming weaker and weaker and would have to depend on their families to fulfill their needs. The families may get tired of their responsibilities in the long run. There would be a wider generation gap, and the old generation would get a culture shock. If people live long, then retirement would be at an older age and it would surely lead to unemployment problems. Moreover, they might get bored of living such a long life as there would be no goals for them.
What we have to accept is that increased life expectancy is something we have to face more and more in the future. If proper steps are not taken then it would be a big burden on government as it has to provide social security. The elderly are not working and so are not paying taxes. They are totally dependent on their families and the governments.
To put it in a nutshell, I pen down saying that, even though the aging trend can bring some benefits to the society, the cons far outweigh the pros. Therefore, effective solutions should be found to reduce its adverse effects, especially on the productivity of the society.
Alternative Answer:
With the advancement of modern science and medical science, people are enjoying a longer life than before and in many countries people are well aware of the population growth and as a result having only one kid or two. These reasons lead the fact that in many countries, the proportion of older people is growing faster. This has both the positive and negative effects.
At first, older people are more experienced and can contribute largely by counseling the young generation. There are some professions like teaching where an experienced teacher can be more benevolent than a young teacher. Again, older people are the witness of the history and they can revile the past to us more practically than others. Finally, since young members of a family are busy at outside and can’t manage time to share with kids, so the older people can be very good companion to those kids and can help them to raise in a family environment rather than in a day-care- centre.
On the contrary, in some society older people are considered to be burden especially in those areas where people suffer from extreme poverty. Older people require more attention and extra care and the touch of relatives. But because of generation gap and poverty, they are often ignored and that’s a horrible experience for them. Again, naturally aged people can’t do physical labor and that’s why they have very practical contribution to the society compared to their young counterparts.
Considering all the issues , though it might seem little harsh but I think that a considerable portion of older people can be helpful for all of us but if it’s reach to an extreme proportion then it’s a bad omen both for the new generation and the old people themselves.