Author: gustsu
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Ageing in Cities
OECD new report explores the roles of cities on ageing societies by answering an important question: “How are urban populations ageing?”
One of the main findings on this report is the fact that within OECD metropolitan areas, the older population is growing faster than the total population.
The report also shows that ageing trends are different between OECD metropolitan areas (functional urban areas) and non-metropolitan areas. While metropolitan areas are marginally younger than non-metropolitan areas, the number of older people is increasing faster: 23.8 % vs. 18.2 % during 2001-2011.
If I had had only the opportunity to attend the opening keynote presentations at the eighth IAGG-ER Congress, the visit to Dublin would already have been worth it.
Prof. Jan Baars, Desmond O’Neill and Rose Anne Kenny gave brilliant and inspiring lectures. You can listen to the first presentation at the end of this post (click continue reading).
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Care-friendly cities?
For some of us the IAGG-ER congress in Dublin started a bit earlier with a very interesting master class on Population Ageing and the Challenges of Integrating Paid Work and Family Care Work.
The master class is organised by The IAGG Global Social Initiative on Ageing (GSIA).
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Unlocking the Demographic Dividend
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Cultural Tips: Old Love
According to song facts, the septuagenarian Eric Clapton wrote this song after the divorce with Pattie Boyd, in 1988 (the song was released in 1989).
In my humble opinion, the unplugged version has one of the most beautiful piano solos in history (5’18”):
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Is Oslo ready for the longevity revolution?
After completing their 60th birthday, the average Norwegian can expect to live for another 24 years. Within these, he or she can also expect to have almost 18 years of good health.
In Oslo, this fantastic human achievement has already transformed the landscape, but the coming years will bring new challenges.
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Cultural Tips: Modern Times
This almost octogenarian masterpiece is a “must watch movie”. Not only because it is very funny, but also because it raises some fundamental debates on society and technology.
“Slow death to the infamous Portuguese who invented the Portuguese pavement. Cursed d. Manuel 1st and his gang of lieutenants Eusébios. Irregular square boulder crushed by hand. By hand! Of course it would break loose, no one noticed it was going break loose? White, black, white, black, the waves of Copacabana. Who cares about the waves of Copacabana? Give me a flat floor, without limestone lumps. Stupid mosaic. Mosaic mania. Just throw concrete on top of it and flatten. Hole, crater, rubble, bomb manhole. After the seventy years old life becomes an endless obstacle course”. Álvaro (from the book “FIM”, by Fernanda Torres, in Portuguese, own translation).
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Older women’s day
The celebration of International Women’s Day is an important occasion to remember that older persons are not a homogeneous group. The recognition of older persons’ diversity – for example, gender differences – is an important step towards the development of better and more adequate policies.
Violence is one of the main problems affecting older women all over the world. Forms of violence vary from accusations of witchcraft to domestic violence perpetrated by the elder’s own family members. Unfortunately, no consistent evaluation of such crimes exists.
HelpAge international has an interesting video (see below) to help us to understand some of the issues that older women face. The Older Women Count campaign highlights how, despite increasing evidence of discrimination against women in older age and the challenges these women face, the problems affecting older women are largely ignored.
The Gender and Ageing Charter, adopted at the second International Longevity Forum in Rio de Janeiro, October 2014, is another important initiative to have in mind. According to the charter, the social construction of gender informs all aspects of ageing in every socioeconomic, cultural and institutional context. Therefore, special attention in all settings must be given to the effects of cumulative gender-based disadvantages.
In another video, published by the PROJECT M, the producers ask a very simple question: “Are young women today cursed to poverty in retirement?”. The answer is very clear: “in most countries, older women are at greater risk of poverty than older men”, a phenomena they describe as the younger wife’s curse.
Those are just a few examples to remind us that ageing and old age is a highly gendered experience, and gender, therefore, cannot be ignored whenever ageing is under debate.
Happy Women’s Day