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Aging in America
* Gender doesn't make a difference. (Most
discussions about aging are gender blind. Societal practices place women
at greater risk for virtually all of the problems associated with old
age.)
There is nothing you can do to stop the aging process. But old age can
be an interesting and emotionally rewarding stage of life if social
structural barriers are lifted and we create a culture of old age. Few
have escaped stories about the graying of America. The number of older
members of our society is growing faster than ever before in human
history. In 1910, 4 percent of the population was over the age of 65;
today that figure is about 12 percent; by 2030 more than one-fifth of
the population will be over 65.
 Ann Davlin, 87, teacher of
music and dance at her studio in Berkeley
To be blunt, in earlier times it didn't really matter what old age was
like. Now it matters to all of us, young and old alike. The
nature of old age holds relevance for the functioning of entire
societies. The demographic changes we are witnessing will affect
families, work, health care, education and public policies. Some changes
will be negative, some positive just think of the reduction in
crime and sexually transmitted diseases!
Why this change? In a word: culture.
Finding biological explanations often rooted in evolution is hot these
days in
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