Critical Analysis Of Will America Grow Up Before It Grows Old

Jacobsen, Kent, Lee, & Mather (2011) stated, “Since women live longer than men in the United States, women will continue to make up a majority of the older population in the foreseeable future” (pg. 3). Whereas, this age distribution among men and women are expected to remain approximately the same between 2009 and 2030, there will be notable changes in the age and gender gap by 2050 as the gap grows smaller (Jacobsen, Kent, Lee, & Mather, 2011). Furthermore, according to Vincent & Velkoff (2010), by the year 2042 the United States will become more racially and ethnically diverse with the combined minority population expected to become the majority. Thus, as people in the United States age over the next several decades, the older population will also become a more racially and ethnically diverse group. In addition, the overall age structure of the population is expected to change a great deal over the next four decades (Vincent & Velkoff, 2010). This will pose even more challenges to policy makers and programs designed to help the elderly like Medicare and Social Security. Therefore, being able to project the size and structure of the older population, in regards to age, sex, race, and Hispanic origin is not only important to public interest, but also private both socially and economically (Vincent & Velkoff, 2010).

Between 2000 and 2050, the number of ageing population will increase by 135% During this time period, the proportion of the population that is over the age of 65 will increase from 12.7% in

Data from the Census Bureau tell us that in 2015, there are around 47.8 million Americans age 65 and older, up from about 25.5 million just 35 years ago; demographers predict that in another 35 years, there will be nearly 88 million Americans in this age group. The rate of growth of the “oldest old” population—those age 85 and older—is even more dramatic: Their numbers currently stand at approximately 6.3 million, but by 2050, that number will have almost tripled, to 18.7 million Americans. This population explosion is unprecedented in history, and the resulting demographic shift is causing profound social and economic changes.

The fact that the American population is aging has raised concerns. In 2011, the number of adults over the age of 65 reached 41.4 million, which account for 13.3% of the population ("A Profile of Older Americans: 2012," 2012). It is estimated that there will be about 71 million older adults by 2030 ("Healthy Aging-Improving and Extending Quality of Life among Older Americans," 2009). Approximately 2.1 million elderly are currently living in

The recent growth in the number of older adults in the United States is unusual in the history of America. The anticipation of the elderly population (65+) by the year 2050 will be almost 89million people, or greater than the population of the elderly in the year 2010 (CDC 2013).

According to a 2014 census report, 40.3 million Americans were 65 or over, making up 13 percent of the country's population. That's 12 times the number of 1900, and it shows little sign of slowing down. In fact, the same report projects that by 2050 America's senior population will comprise nearly 21 percent of whole United States. More so, the report found that in 2010 seniors were paying three times more on personal health care in a year than a non-senior. On average, seniors were spending just under $18,500 on their own health care each year.

By 2020, approximately 20 percent of the U.S. population will be 65 years or older and employers have yet to come to grips with this fact. The aging population will affect the workforce through retirement and those continuing to work. Medicare and Social Security are very likely to undergo profound changes. Some who reach the age of 65 will not be able to retire due to the fact that they require outside income. Retired or not, the aging population will contribute heavily to the consumer market. Their demand for leisure-time pursuits and professional services will fuel local labor markets. This boom in the service sector may replace many low-skilled or unskilled jobs. The aging of the population will be far more dramatic that ethnic

Only 4% of the population was over the age of 65 year old in the beginning of the 20th century. Aging was very rare from this time and before.

The author shares that normally a population forms a triangle with the younger adults serving as the broad base and older adults as the tip of the pyramid, which leaves an adequate quantity of wage-earning young adult taxpayers to support the smaller number of older adults (Wright, 2005). He says when older adults outnumber young adult taxpayers or, when the age structure is inverted, social disaster can quickly follow (Wright, 2005). This critical issue will not only

Vincent, G.K. and V.A. Velkoff, The next four decades: The older population in the United States: 2010 to 2050. 2010: US Department of Commerce, Economics and Statistics Administration, US Census Bureau.

Throughout the globe, we are experiencing the greatest demographic transition of all time. According to the UN DESA report, our world population is projected to grow at approximately 9.7 billion by 2050. This immense growth will predominantly occur in underdeveloped regions and developed countries, such as Africa and the U.S. Parts of the globe has an increasing ageing population, while others are having a huge influx of new youth. Mainly Europe and South America will contain ageing growths, whereas Africa and Asia will have larger proportions of youth ages. This particular dynamic is going to have desiccating affects towards our interconnected global society, if stable governments and its citizens do not come up with viable solutions. My main

I believe that our society will face an increasing scarcity of resources as the growth in the older population rises. My reasoning is that as our older population grows, the number of people consuming scarce resources but not contributing to their production will grow with them. Given this scenario, we will see decreases in available food, water, and living space. Our textbook supports my opinion in various ways. For example, the textbook proposes a question that is fairly similar to mine and it is, “Will there be enough young people to care for and financially support the growing number of elderly citizens?” (Carl, Pg. 264) This question is directly related to the notion that I put forth previously. As the number of elderly grow, and the birth rate slows down, who will be taking care of those too old to work?

According to the U.S. Census Bureau the number of people 65 and older will possibly double by the year 2030. According to Yager (2008) forecasts are showing that the United States could reach a labor shortage by 2030. As

Over the years, there have been major shifts within the United States in regards to its population. Statisticians have estimated that 20% of the population will be 65 years of age and older. There is an even

From 1970 to the year 2000, the world's over-60 population is projected to increase by more than 90 percent" . This is an astonishing number, seeming how the total population was predicted to grow by less than 75 percent . "The most prominent feature of the looming shift in the composition of the working-age population is, of course, its increasing age" . It is hard to say what will happen when suddenly there will be an abundance of older people who are preparing to retire.