Aims

To show that demographic ageing is a relatively recent phenomenon produced by a western demographic transition that has profoundly altered the structures of populations by age and gender, and other (family, social and economic) structures of societies, and their modes of organisation. To describe the consequences, particularly in terms of changing relations between generations, and to stress the broadening of the phenomenon worldwide.

Main themes

- Demographic ageing vs individual ageing.
- The demographic timetable of western citizens and how it has changed over time.
- The first and second causes of ageing: lower fertility and deferred mortality.
- Measuring ageing (e.g. average age, ageing coefficients, and dependency relationships).
- Downward and upward ageing of the age pyramid.
- Rectangularisation of the survival curve: what can we still hope for?
- "Limited" demographic perspectives: scenario-fictions for the 3rd millennium.
- High mortality among men, imbalance of ages, and problems of loneliness and of elderly people.
- Between independence and dependence.
- The emergence of multi-generational societies.
- Traditional and new forms of solidarity between ages.
- The economic and social consequences of societal ageing: the impact on such matters as employment, social security and health.
- The globalisation of ageing, and propagation to countries of the south: what new challenges?
- Managing ages, and designing policies for ageing and the integration of generations.

Other information (prerequisite, evaluation (assessment methods), course materials recommended readings, ...)

Assessment: This will be in the form of a synthesis of reading and applied work.

Other credits in programs