Demographers have developed the concept of DEPENDANCY LOAD. This is a measure of the population that is dependant, not actively employed. The population pyramid can be used to illustrate the dependancy load. If there are many children in a society, it can be very difficult for a society to meet the needs of children and seniors.

When the earners in a country are low, governments may have to borrow a lot of money from other countries, or put high taxes on their working citizens. In 1961, during the peak of the Baby Boom, the dependancy ratio was 87%. As a result the government had to spend a lot of money building schools and recreational facilities for this demographic group.

By 2001 the ratio had fallen to 58% per 100 working age people. During the next three decades the dependancy load will climb again This time the large percent of the population will not be children, it will be aging boomers.

Think about it! What are some of the challenges Canadian society will have to face?

There are many reasons why Canada can be seen as prepared for this demographic shift. Many baby boomers approaching old age are already well-prepared for their approaching retirement. Many of them have been depositing 10% of their income into PENSION FUNDS for years with further amounts deposited by the government or their employers.

About a third of Canadian taxpayers contribute to RRSP’s (Registered Retirement Savings Funds) The government is eager to see fewer people dependent on the government because the funds they have set aside cannot support a generation of people who will live years past their retirement.

third_act - t third_act - t (11 mins)

Read through pages from text about aging. Read article “As Life Expectancy…”

Generational Theories Now that we have looked in detail at the Millenials and the Baby Boomers, we are going to take a look at some generational theories proposed by social scientists.

Some theories take the macrosociological approach; the sociological study of large-scale social systems and long-term patterns and processes. Other theories take the microsociological approach; the sociological study of small groups and social units within a larger social system. BVeSykcQeE (macro vs. micro- 3 mins) BVeSykcQeE

Generation theories help to clarify the views held by different generational groups in society and to explain the relationships between generations. They help to examine how society changes over time due to the values and attitudes held by each group and to explain the communication challenges between groups in society that may hinder societal progress.

Karl Mannheim and Fresh Contacts Karl Mannheim claimed that young people learn important values from their parents and communities. He believed that entire groups share similar ideals and will continue to hold these ideals throughout their lifetimes. Fresh contact: as young people mature and give personal meaning to their surroundings, they are able to form value systems from their own experiences that do not align with the values of other generations.

Social location: refers to the influence birth year has on an individuals consciousness. Individuals of the same generation share the same social context and occupy a common space in history. These shared elements create a generational connection or consciousness and greatly influence the individuals attitudes values and views. Social action and social views throughout an individuals lifetime will be linked to those of his or her generation.

How do you think your ‘social location’ would affect your beliefs about the environment, compared with the environmental beliefs of someone born in 1930?

Strauss-Howe Generational Theory William Strauss and Neil Howe are historians who have identified a repeating cycle in generational values. They identified four different generational archetypes (universal symbols or patterns). They believe that generational values alternate between four distinct eras which they call “turnings”.

They named the four turnings (each 20 year generation) the PROPHET, NOMAD, HERO and ARTIST generations. According to the theory, each of the four turnings appears, becomes popular, and gives way to the next. The cycle always begins with a generation in crisis.

H-oY H-oY (infowars- 4 mins)

In groups of four or five, read article on Strauss-Howe generational theory Each group will be assigned a ‘turn’ (there will be doubles), create a short presentation (markers and large paper) explaining your topic to the class. Fill in the chart.

Generational Replacement The theory of general replacement claims that changes in adolescent attitudes are important markers in long-term social change. The ideas formed during adolescence will inform and shape that person’s world view well into adult life. Therefore, examining beliefs among youth will help determine future social trends.

While a tween is not yet in the midst of adolescence, he or she will face a variety of obstacles in the next few years including; transitioning from elementary school to high school, approaching puberty, increasing responsibilities and exposure to things like drugs, sex and alcohol. Tweens can be a challenge to parent, one minute they can be sweet and loving, the next they can be moody and difficult.

The emergence of “Tweens” ‘Tweens’ are defined as children between the ages of approximately 8 and 13 The social pressures for teens and tweens to act and perform as adults – mostly driven by the marketing climate- are pushing tweens to shape and be a large part of consumer behaviour from a young age

Tweens have an enormous spending power in the United States and are targeted by marketers for their money. It was the tween market that made Hannah Montana, the Jonas Brothers, and Harry Potter household names. Many parenting experts believe tweens are growing up too fast and are exposed to unhealthy doses of violence, sex, drugs and other behaviours through tv, video games, online games, movies and books.

Dramatic physical, mental, and social changes take place during the tween years. Brain development at this age is dramatic for both boys and girls. Socially, tweens are under pressure to fit in and it is at this sensitive time that tweens are most likely to face bullies and other social challenges.

The Sexualization of Tweens lization-tweens lization-tweens (5:30 mins)

Why do Tweens matter? What are the trends relating to tweens? According to social scientists, children are getting more socially relevant than ever before. They are afforded more rights and are encouraged to express their individuality at a younger age- both in opinion and fashion- and are decision makers and consumers in many families.

The Sexualization of Tweens consumerism/marketing-and-consumerism- special-issues-tweens-and-teens consumerism/marketing-and-consumerism- special-issues-tweens-and-teens (article)

What might be some of the results of the extra pressures on Tweens to act more like teenagers and adults? Write a list of what you think some of the psychological and social effects could be. How could these issues follow them into adulthood?

Surviving the Teenage Brain (45 mins) urviving-the-teenage-brain urviving-the-teenage-brain