What's New

Senile population

Q. Critically examine the impact of globalization on the senile population of the world.

Answer: 

Globalization is a significant factor in a competitive world that integrate and mobilize the cultural values of people at the global level. In the age of rapid technical progression, many countries are unified and transformed due to the process of globalization. Globalization has a huge impact on the cultural, social, monetary, political, and communal life of countries.

According to Population Census 2011, there are nearly 104 million elderly persons (aged 60 years or above) in India; 53 million females and 51 million males. A report released by the United Nations Population Fund and HelpAge India suggests that the number of elderly persons is expected to grow to 173 million by 2026. This population is immensely affected by Globalization.

Positive Impacts of globalization on the population:

• Globalisation: Has decreased costs and increased access to new health care technology for the Average life expectancy and health has increased because of improvement in technology, medical facilities, and living standards.
• The rapid growth in communication technologies has made the world a small place:  Aged people who could not be lucky to live with their children due to the job pressures of the young, can now easily interact with them over Skype and Zoom.
• Remittances: 18 million India living outside send money to parents at Home improving their quality of life.
• The longevity dividend: The people now have become more economically prosperous because of better employment opportunities across the world; and due to this they are able to save more for their old age.

Negative Impacts:

• Fallouts of disintegration of joint families.
• Unclear roles in a fast-changing world.
• The problem is aggravated when parents are economically dependent on children.
• The rapid cultural shock that they experience because of globalization has led them into a trap of anxiety.
• Globalization has not only led to faster growth but faster inflation also. The elderly population find their savings are often eaten away by inflation.
• Psychological problems like a sense of dependence, insecurity, fear and alienation.

Conclusion

Elders have formal, technical and tacit skills which they’ve accumulated through long service. They can also help younger ones find pathways into secure and well-paid work through mentoring and job sharing. Many older people are also contributing to social welfare by taking on caring roles such as looking after grandchildren and elderly parents. Thus, with increasing life expectancy Longevity dividend is the need of the hour.