The proportion of elderly people in the UK population is increasing due to declining fertility rates and longer life expectancies. By 2028, 20% of the UK population will be elderly. An increasing elderly population could strain younger taxpayers and threaten the sustainability of state pension systems if changes are not made. Different perspectives view the impacts of an aging population differently - feminists note increased caregiving burdens on women, while functionalists see benefits of intergenerational bonding, and Marxists criticize low pensions and benefits as capitalist societies "dumping" the elderly. Variations may also exist by class, gender and ethnicity.

1. How has the age structure of the population changed and what are the consequences of this

4. A feminist would say that more elderly people would put a strain on the women of the households as its generally the women who do the caring. Functionalists and the New Right would say the more elderly people in households would be good for the youth as for example a grandparent could replace a father making a nuclear family of sorts. A Marxist would say that it was evidence of a capitalist society ‘dumping’ the elderly with low pensions and benefits. A male upper class person would have a better retirement as their saving would be greater and men usually get higher up the promotion ladder than women.