The unprecedented increase in the relative size of the older
population has created major challenges for many countries
around the world. It strains existing systems of social and
financial support for older people as the burdens of
intergenerational dependency increase. In addition to
these demographic changes, the trend toward ever-increasing
economic globalization is in many countries transforming
existing social institutions including the social welfare policies
that support older people
The purposes of this article are twofold:
First, the author reviews the main areas of
research on global aging, including issues such as (1)
family structure and living arrangements; (2) care
burdens and (3) retirement and old-age financial
security. In each of these areas, the research we
suggest economic globalization that in the
decades ahead developing countries are likely to be confronted with
even greater challenges than the developed countries
linked to population aging in an ever more competitive global
economy.
Second, the author suggests directions for future
research on global aging for more adequate
analysis of the links between global aging, economic
globalization and social policies designed to deal with the
well-being of workers across the life course up to and
including old age.
Key words: global aging, living course, care
burderns, social policy, well-being.