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.