Concerns about ageing society ignore huge opportunities, says population expert
Sarah Harper says society must create new ways of living and working amid potential ‘silver economy’
TL;DR
- Concerns about ageing populations are overblown; society should embrace the "silver economy" and its opportunities.
- Two-thirds of countries have below-replacement fertility rates, making ageing populations inevitable.
- Older adults (50-70) are a "massive cohort of healthy, active, older, creative adults" who can contribute significantly.
- Societies need to create new ways of living and working to benefit from older adults, moving beyond 20th-century institutions.
- Addressing inequalities in health and education is crucial for all older adults to contribute.
- The UK population is growing and ageing, with 27% expected to be 65+ by 2072.
- The age structure of populations will shift from a pyramid to a skyscraper shape.
- Affordable childcare is key to unlocking the potential of both younger and older adults.
- Accepting that some women will choose not to have children is necessary, while supporting those who do with good jobs, housing, childcare, and gender equality.
- High-income countries do not need high fertility rates; they need to change their economic structures.
- Older adults are an "amazing resource" with skills valuable to a knowledge-based economy, and many are willing to work longer.
- Linking state pensions to national insurance contributions rather than age could be a reform approach.
- The integration of older adults into the workforce can be compared to the societal shift of women entering the labor market, which was initially met with resistance but is now taken for granted.