- Celebrating two generations amid the challenges of an ageing population
In Sri Lanka, 1 October marks the celebration of two generations – National Children’s Day and International Day of Older Persons.
Children’s Day is marked differently on varying dates around the world. However, Universal Children’s Day was established in 1954 and eventually when the United Nations adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Rights of the Child on 20 November, the date was recognised as ‘World Children’s Day’.
As for the day of the elderly, the International Day of Older Persons was first established on 14 December 1990 by the United Nations General Assembly.
Sri Lanka is commemorating both the International Children’s Day and Day of Older Persons courtesy of the patronage of State Minister of Women and Child Affairs Geetha Kumarasinghe, with the support of State authorities dedicated to the welfare of children and elders, such as the National Child Protection Authority, Department of Probation and Child Care Services, Department of Social Services, National Secretariat for Elders, and the National Secretariat for Early Childhood Development.
Challenges of an ageing population
Sri Lanka, despite what we would like to believe, is still in the early stages of emerging from a severe economic crisis and suffering the ongoing impacts of political instability. Given our present situation, marginalised groups continue to suffer greatly, particularly groups such as the elderly.
Eastern University Faculty of Social Science Professor M. Jeyashankar shared that due to a significant increase in the population of adults globally, they have become a striking concern for countries’ economies. He noted that while the Day of Older Persons could be demonstrated as an attempt to address these concurrent concerns in the lives of adults, it was merely a surface-level exercise for State entities to tick a box and move on without providing any real solutions.
He shared: “As a consequence, in the 21st century, the implication of the population ageing is likely to be more massive than ever before.” He also noted how the century had been titled the ‘era of population ageing,’ adding that whilst ageing was a universal phenomenon, Sri Lanka was one of the fastest ageing countries in the world.
He shared that Sri Lanka was unique, given that while being a developing country it shared the problems of an ageing population with the more developed world. The primary cause is the fall in the birth rate coupled with a longer-living population, which results in a rapidly-ageing society.
He also stated that an ageing population posed a very real challenge to the fiscal and macroeconomic stability of many societies, especially through increased state spending on pension, healthcare, and social benefits programmes for the elderly. “Given that Sri Lanka, for the most part, is a welfare state, as the economy currently stands, an ageing population is a heavy burden on the State system,” he said.
Prof. Jeyashankar also noted that what was missing in addressing the concerns about Sri Lanka’s ageing society was that the experiences of the elderly were severely marginalised. “Many Sri Lankans who are technically elderly are still part of the workforce and actively so. However, they have a unique set of needs that are not addressed and as the majority are in the economic class that would seek out State-sponsored medical support, they are likely to have overwhelmed the rapidly-depleting medical resources that Sri Lanka is desperately holding on to,” he said.
What can we do?
To best understand the concerns with an ageing population, UN statistics note that while there were 10 workers for every person older than 64 in the world in 1970, the expected number in 2050 is only four and it will even be less than two in some European countries.
This may hurt economic growth and overall quality of life if governments need to divert public spending from education and infrastructure investment to finance programmes for the elderly. In addition, the recent economic crisis in Sri Lanka has not only increased the demand for social protection but also draws attention to population ageing issues.
As we are all well aware, the country, facing unsustainable public debt, already has high public spending, which limits the fiscal possibilities for increased ageing-related spending in the long run. Therefore, relevant and prompt policy solutions are necessary to ensure fiscal and macroeconomic sustainability as well as the health and well-being of citizens of all ages.
Researcher Nevanka Jayatilleke shared that recommendations in best addressing challenges due to an ageing society were two-pronged: one being work, for monetary and non-monetary reasons. Work is a pivotal element of one’s well-being. He added that paid work contributed not only to material well-being but also to psychological well-being through social interactions and opportunities for personal and professional growth.
Unpaid work – like volunteering, care work, and artistic work – can provide these same psychological benefits. Given these positive effects, encouraging and rewarding paid and unpaid work among the elderly could be a pivotal part of the solution to the ageing-related fiscal and social challenges.
Secondly, to encourage older workers to remain longer in the labour force: “It is often cited as the most viable solution to fiscal pressures and macroeconomic challenges related to population ageing.”
He noted that retirement could include a scheme whereby older workers could choose to work fewer hours yet remain longer in the labour force, including after they retired. Gradual retirement can be beneficial to societies, employers, and workers. It will also allow continuity in tax revenues and reduced expenditure on pensions, which holds particular importance for fiscal and macroeconomic stability.
There are social benefits as well since older workers can be valuable to organisations and younger colleagues due to their knowledge and experience and late-life work could have positive health and perceived well-being consequences for older employees.
He did note however that work activities for the elderly did not automatically translate into social welfare gains. Policies should be arranged in a way that recognises the dignity and autonomy of older individuals as opposed to providing them with meaningless or degrading tasks merely to keep them occupied.
In addition to furnishing meaningful and rewarding opportunities, activities should be adapted to the physical and mental aptness of older individuals. While paid and unpaid work activities are beneficial to society and the elderly, allowing for choice and autonomy is crucial.
An investment
Brunch spoke to some elderly persons, who collectively shared that while they themselves were not averse to being kept in the workforce a bit longer – in fact, as private sector workers they would be elated – State sector individuals would not come on board quite so happily. They added that given the State’s general inability to engage with any sort of investment that required foresight, the short-term expenses that were required may be hard to come by.
The majority noted: “Implementing effective and relevant programmes and schemes may have short-term costs and employers and older workers may face bargaining costs. Employers could also incur expenses related to restructuring or adapting tasks. Regardless, the long-run welfare benefits to society will likely exceed these short-term costs and improve the country’s fiscal health.”