1. Social Problems, 13e
D. Stanley Eitzen
Maxine Baca Zinn
Kelly Eitzen Smith
Chapter 5
Demographic Changes
in the United States:
The Browning and
Graying of Society
3. Learning Objectives
5.1 Assess the historical settlement patterns that
have occurred in the U.S.
5.2 Explain the facts versus myths of the changing
racial landscape in America.
5.3 Explain the facts versus myths of the “graying of
America.”
5.4 Assess the potential consequences of the
“graying of America.”
5.5 Discuss how the elderly might cope with or
respond to their devalued status in society.
4. 5.1 - Profile of the U.S. Population*
• United States – 313,000,000
(third highest in the world)
• China – 1.34 billion
• India – 1.21 billion
• The United States, a developed nation,
continues to increase. Why?
* January 2012
5. 5.1 - Profile of the U.S. Population
continued
• One in five householders is age 65 or
older.
• Beginning in 2011, an average of 10,000
additional people will become eligible for
Medicare each day.
• Non-Whites make up about 37 percent of
the U.S. population, compared to 20
percent in 1980.
6. LO 5.1 - Video: Demography: The Study of
the Population
http://media.pearsoncmg.com/ph/hss/SSA_
SHARED_MEDIA_1/sociology/videos/MSoc
L_Intelecom/INT_WWL_20K_004.html
7. LO 5.1
Why does the population of the United
States, unlike other developed nations,
continue to increase?
A. higher fertility rate
B. influx of immigrants
C. higher life expectancy
D. higher infant mortality
8. LO 5.1
Why does the population of the United
States, unlike other developed nations,
continue to increase?
A. higher fertility rate
B. influx of immigrants
C. higher life expectancy
D. higher infant mortality
9. LO 5.1
The U.S. population is increasingly
comprised of whites.
A. True
B. False
10. LO 5.1
The U.S. population is increasingly
comprised of whites.
A. True
B. False
11. 5.2 - New Immigration and the
Changing Racial Landscape
• Immigration and Increasing Diversity
• Consequences of the New Immigration
• Immigration and Agency
• Effects of Immigration on Immigrants:
Ethnic Identity or Assimilation?
12. LO 5.2 - Immigration and Increasing
Diversity
1. Non-Whites comprise one-third of the U.S.
population
2. Racial minorities are increasing faster than the
majority population
3. African Americans have lost their position as
the most numerous racial minority
4. Immigration accounts for a large share of the
nation’s population growth
5. The racial composition of society is changing
14. LO 5.2 - Consequences of the New
Immigration
1. Do immigrants take jobs from U.S.
citizens?
2. Are immigrants a drain on society’s
resources?
3. Will the increasing proportion of non-
Whites blur racial lines or increase
tensions?
17. LO 5.2
Some are angry
with immigrants
who they feel
take their jobs
and use state
resources for
their education
and healthcare.
18. LO 5.2 - Immigration and Agency
• Immigration can be forced or through human
agency
• Most people in developing nations do not
migrate
– Who does?
– What do they experience?
19. LO 5.2 - Effects of Immigration on
Immigrants: Ethnic Identity or
Assimilation?
1. Assimilate as quickly as possible
2. Adopt an adversarial stance toward the
dominant society
3. Resist assimilation and focus on ethnic ties
4. Adopt a bicultural pattern
20. LO 5.2 - Explorer Activity: Demographic
Changes: Fifty Years in Brooklyn
• http://www.socialexplorer.com/pearson/pli
nk.aspx?dest=http%3a%2f%2fwww.social
explorer.com%2fSpiceMap%2f%3fv%3d2
71b8685931249df
• Please log into MySocLab with your
username and password before accessing
this link.
21. LO 5.2
Immigrants are an economic threat to
__________.
A. the middle class
B. small families
C. the newly employed
D. low-skilled workers
22. LO 5.2
Immigrants are an economic threat to
__________.
A. the middle class
B. small families
C. the newly employed
D. low-skilled workers
23. LO 5.2
African Americans still outnumber Latinos in
the U.S. population.
A. True
B. False
24. LO 5.2
African Americans still outnumber Latinos in
the U.S. population.
A. True
B. False
25. 5.3 - The Aging Society
• Demographic Trends
• Demographic Portrait of the Current
Elderly Population
26. LO 5.3 - Demographic Trends
• High fertility rates combined with high mortality
rates keep a population young.
• The United States is aging because birthrates
and death rates have declined.
30. LO 5.3
Which birth trend contributed to the dramatic
increase in the U.S. elderly population
beginning in 2011?
A. baby bust
B. population explosion
C. baby boom
D. population pyramid
31. LO 5.3
Which birth trend contributed to the dramatic
increase in the U.S. elderly population
beginning in 2011?
A. baby bust
B. population explosion
C. baby boom
D. population pyramid
32. LO 5.3
Low fertility rates and low mortality rates
keep a population young.
A. True
B. False
33. LO 5.3
Low fertility rates and low mortality rates
keep a population young.
A. True
B. False
34. 5.4 - Problems of an Aging Society
• Social Security
• Paying for Healthcare
• Elder Abuse
35. LO 5.4 - Social Security
• One out of three seniors depends on
Social Security for 90 to 100 percent of
their income.
• Disadvantages for women because of the
social structure.
• Regressive Tax
• Dependency Ratio
36. LO 5.4 - Paying for Health Care
• The elderly consume more than one-third
of all healthcare in the United States
• Costs of getting old
• Medicare
37. LO 5.4 - Elder Abuse
• Institutionalized Elderly
– Custodial versus therapeutic care
– Necessary or a “dumping ground”?
– Big business
• Noninstitutionalized Elderly
– beanpole family structure
– sandwich family structure
• Ageism
38. LO 5.4
Long-term care facilities are a big business
because of the aging population and the
__________.
A. lack of healthcare professionals
B. affluent seeking care
C. necessary regulations
D. government paying for much care
39. LO 5.4
Long-term care facilities are a big business
because of the aging population and the
__________.
A. lack of health care professionals
B. affluent seeking care
C. necessary regulations
D. government paying for much care
40. LO 5.4
According to your textbook, women are
disadvantaged by the Social Security
program.
A. True
B. False
41. LO 5.4
According to your text, women are
disadvantaged in the Social Security
program.
A. True
B. False
42. 5.5 - Responses by the Elderly
• “Elderly” is age 65
– At 65, most people have many “good” years left
• Positive
– Travel, visit family, leisure activities, hobbies…for those
who have the means
• Negative
– Facing physical changes
– disengagement
• Political
– AARP is the second largest interest group
44. LO 5.5
The disputed theory that elderly withdraw
from social groups and activities is called
__________.
A. disengagement
B. aging
C. responsive
D. controlled
45. LO 5.5
The disputed theory that elderly withdraw
from social groups and activities is called
__________.
A. disengagement
B. aging
C. responsive
D. controlled
46. LO 5.5
The AARP is the largest interest group in the
United States.
A. True
B. False
47. LO 5.5
The AARP is the largest interest group in the
United States.
A. True
B. False
48. LO 5.5
Question for Discussion
Discuss the changing population in the
United States. If trends continue, what will
the United States “look” like in 2050?
Editor's Notes
Demography is the scientific study of a population—its current size, distribution, and composition as well as changes over time.
Demography is the focus of this chapter, especially two population shifts that are transforming U.S. society—one with external sources and the other internal.
Unlike other developed nations, the population of the United States continues to increase (at a rate of 1 percent per year) primarily because of the large influx of immigrants.
Immigrants add to the population and also have more children than families that have been in the United States a few generations.
The U.S. Census Bureau projects that the United States will have a population of 439 million by 2050.
These are just three of the statistics presented in the textbook about the changing population in the United States.
Immigration is the permanent movement of people across political boundaries.
The new immigration is challenging the cultural hegemony of the White European tradition, creating incredible diversity in race, ethnicity, language, and culture; rapidly changing the racial landscape; and leading, often, to division and hostility.
Historically, immigration was a major source of population growth in the U.S.
1850-1920 from Northern and southern Europe
1920s limitations were placed on immigration with the idea that “new” immigrants should resemble the old ones. (This blocked immigrants from Eastern Europe and Asia)
1965, Immigration Act amendments, stopped the quota system that reinforced the European nature of the U.S. It encouraged immigrants from third world nations and emphasized diversifying the U.S.
90% of recent immigrants are from non-European countries. Historically, 90% of the immigrants in the U.S. were from Europe.
About 1 million immigrants enter the U.S. legally each year.
There are roughly 11.2 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S. most from the U.S./Mexico border.
The number has dropped because of border controls, but also the declining U.S. economy.
Read in the text about the diversity in California.
The United States is shifting from an Anglo-White society rooted in Western culture to a society with three large racial/ethnic minorities, each of them growing in size while the proportion of Whites declines.
These five facts show the contours and magnitude of this demographic transformation. These changes are happening quickly.
15% of the population was non-white in 1960. Four states (California, Texas, New Mexico, and Hawaii) have non-white majorities.
Non-whites account for half of all births in the U.S. Age 3 and under, whites are a minority.
In 2000, 42.7 million (Latino) to 39.7 million (African American)
In 2010, 50.4 million (Latino) to 37.7 million (African American)
By 2050, Latinos will comprise a projected 29 percent of the U.S. population, with African Americans at about 13 percent.
These factors make our assumptions about race and “white” America outdated.
Today 12.9 percent of current U.S. residents are foreign born.
Latinos and Asians are growing more than ten times the pace of Whites.
Immigration accounts for over a third of the current population growth directly and adds more indirectly.
First- (those foreign born) and second-generation (children of the foreign born) Americans have more children on average than the rest of the population.
Asian born now outnumber the European born, and those from Latin America, especially Mexicans, outnumber both.
These trends signal a transformation from a White majority to a multiracial/ multicultural society with the projected year of 2042 when Whites will become a “minority.”
The new waves of immigrants have dramatically shifted the ethnic composition of the U.S.
In addition, the sheer numbers of immigrants has shifted the population of foreign born in the U.S. significantly.
Recent immigrants from Mexico can earn five times the wage rate in the United States that they can earn in Mexico.
Because most do not speak English and their skills are limited, they tend to work at low-wage occupations, such as gardeners, roofers, assemblers, custodians, restaurant help, maids, and migrant farm workers.
The evidence is that immigrants do not have negative effects on the wages of most Americans, but they do on the low-wage/poorly skilled/poorly educated segment of workers.
Immigrants are more likely than the rest of the population to be self-employed and to start their own businesses, which in turn creates jobs and adds strength to local economies.
Immigrants also stimulate the economy in two ways. 1) They buy products and services. 2) Cheap labor keeps prices down.
Immigrants pay a variety of taxes: income taxes, Social Security and Medicare taxes, and sales taxes. One study estimated that they pay $162 billion annually in federal, state, and local taxes.
In the short run, however, immigrants consume more in public services and benefits than they pay in taxes
They tend to have larger families who go to public schools.
They earn less money and pay fewer taxes.
The drain occurs more at the state and local levels because immigrants consume resources funded by state/local taxes (e.g., education).
Immigrants are an economic benefit for society. For about 2 decades they are a burden, but then a benefit.
New immigrants have always been seen as a threat to those already here.
Part of the fear is because of geographical location.
Immigrants move to poor areas (that they can afford) and tensions mount between immigrants and poor whites who already live in the area about jobs.
The Southern Poverty Law Center says that tension over illegal immigration is contributing to a rise in hate groups and hate crimes across the nation.
Chapter 5, Activity 1
An Immigration Debate
Immigration is currently a hot topic in politics and the media. Divide your class into groups and randomly assign them a “pro-immigration” or an “anti-immigration” stance. In their groups they need to research facts and statistics to back up their arguments for and against immigration. Have a spokesperson from each group present their argument to the class. After the debate, discuss which side you think “won” the debate and why.
Immigrants have always been viewed as a threat.
Do immigrants take jobs away from Americans?
Will the increasing proportion of non-Whites fueled by immigration lead to a blurring of racial
lines or a heightening of tensions among the racial/ethnic groups?
Migration through human agency is about choice. Not feeling forced due to the political climate
Those who choose to migrate break ties to family and community to better themselves and family.
The reasons are typically economic.
Immigrants experience much hostility.
They are feared because they are different.
Belief that they will take jobs.
Scared that they might be terrorists.
Immigrants also struggle with language and culture barriers
They protect themselves by living near friends, family, or others from their nation.
Some become closer creating enclaves, others try to assimilate quickly.
Assimilation: the process by which individuals or groups adopt the culture of another group, losing their original identity.
A key indicator of assimilation is language.
Immigrants have four options with regards to assimilation.
History shows us the immigrants usually assimilate. However the climate is changing and we may not see the same rate of assimilation.
Chapter 5, Activity 2
You Are Moving to Another Country
Have your students consider in detail what it would be like to move to another country. Possible questions include:
What would make you move to another country?
What would you miss from your country?
What would be difficult about the move?
What would you do for a living? Remember you don’t speak the language and you need to pay your bills.
Would the people who live there welcome you?
Would you fit in? What does “fitting in” mean to each student?
The U.S. population is getting older and is quickly going to become much older.
In 1900, about one in twenty-five residents of the United States was 65 years old or older.
In 1950, one in twelve was 65 or older.
In 2000, one in eight was 65 or older.
By 2030, around one in five will be 65 or older, with more people over age 65 than under age 18.
Beginning in 2011, the baby boom generation began turning 65.
More elderly parents will be living with their children.
The elderly are a powerful voting group and their issues will take the forefront.
Not only is a higher percentage of the U.S. population over age 65, Americans are also living longer.
Children born today have a fifty-fifty chance of reaching 100 years of age.
As the baby boom moves toward old age, the age structure of the U.S. population changes
The population pyramid in 2050 becomes more robust at the top. That the overall shape changes as more immigrants arrive, more babies are born, and more people live longer.
Sex Ratio
Three elderly women to every two elderly men
Racial Composition
Racial minorities have a lower life expectancy than do Whites
The elderly population will become more racially diverse
The “Graying of America”
Highlight the dramatic increase the curve takes as the baby boomers turn 65 and beyond.
Longevity
What do we know about these numbers?
Life expectancy
Sex differences and racial differences as the population ages
Geographic Distribution
One-fourth of all elderly live in California, Florida, and New York.
Wealth, Income, and Cumulative Advantage or Disadvantage
Inequalities from income and privilege are magnified among the elderly
As age increases, the disparity in the sex ratio becomes greater. Among people age 100 and older, four in five are women.
As our society ages, we will see more of these problems.
Introduced in the 1930s, Social Security has reduced poverty among the elderly from 35.2 percent in 1959 to 9 percent in 2010.
Social Security was designed to aid the elderly and people with disabilities.
Problems with the system:
Who receives coverage?
How much coverage?
Who is paying for coverage?
Who is covered? Some states have alternative retirement plans (state pensions, etc.) where workers don’t pay Social Security taxes and so are not eligible for benefits. Certain occupations (agricultural workers) are exempt.
How much coverage? Coverage varies based on hours worked and money earned. Benefit amount depends on the length of time workers have paid into the Social Security program and the amount of wages on which they paid a Social Security tax.
Low wages = low benefits
Disadvantages for women
Benefits accumulate only for paid work
Women are in the workforce a fewer number of years then men (pregnancy, caring for children), thus receive less
Divorced woman receives half of her husband’s benefits if married at least 10 years; she receives nothing if married less then 10 years
A widow does not receive any Social Security benefits until age 60, unless she has a child under 16 or an older disabled child or she herself is disabled
Social security is a regressive tax; it disproportionately disadvantages lower-wage workers by taking a larger percentage of their income.
Social security works on a dependency ratio; those collecting benefits are dependent on enough people paying into the system.
This ratio is shrinking (by 2018, the system will pay out more dollars than it collects)
Some facts about the health of the elderly:
Seniors are four times as likely as the nonelderly to be hospitalized.
When hospitalized, they stay an average of about three days longer than the nonelderly.
The elderly account for more than one-third of all spending for prescription drugs
One in eight, who are at least 65 years old, has Alzheimer’s disease.
It is expensive to get old.
Fidelity Investments estimated that a 65-year-old couple retiring in 2006 needed about $200,000 to cover health costs not covered by Medicare. That estimate did not include the cost of over-the-counter drugs, dental services, or long-term care.
The average annual cost of a year in a nursing home in 2011 ranged from a low of $54,264 in Louisiana to a high of $119,355 in New York.
Long-term care can lead to impoverished states for many elderly.
Medicare began in 1965 for those age 65 and over. It is a federal health insurance program.
Problems with Medicare
Insufficiently financed by the government.
Doesn’t cover all medical bills.
Physicians feel Medicare underpays them for their services.
Healthcare costs of growing old affect groups differently.
The affluent elderly can afford care/coverage.
The poor elderly also qualify for Medicaid to cover gaps in coverage.
Those in the middle (who can’t afford out of pocket, but don’t qualify for Medicaid) are in the worst position. Their resources must be spent before Medicaid takes over for long-term care.
Institutionalized Elderly
Therapeutic versus custodial care
Therapeutic care: the approach that focuses on meeting the needs of patients and on treatment
Custodial care: the approach in a health facility that focuses on meeting the needs of the institution rather than those of the residents
Custodial residents tend to receive less satisfactory care than do therapeutic residents
Federal law states that nursing home residents must use all their savings before receiving Medicaid
Previous research indicates that the shift to Medicaid results in a change from therapeutic care to custodial care
Some elderly cannot be cared for in the home due to or mental diseases
Some argue that the United States uses nursing homes as a way to let someone else deal with our elderly
No federal standards for health and safety of residents in nursing homes
Standards are left to the individual states; enforcement varies
In custodial care there is a problem of overuse of drugs
Two things make long-term care a big business
Rapidly growing elderly population
The government foots the bill for most of the care
Nearly one in three nursing homes has been cited by state inspectors for abusing patients
Nursing homes chronically understaffed and underregulated
Noninstitutionalized Elderly
A beanpole family structure is a vertical four-generation household with three sets of parent-child relationships
A sandwich family structure is a three-generation household where families are caring for aging parents and their children at the same time
Potential abuse as more families are caring for the elderly:
Physical abuse
Psychological abuse
Drug abuse
Financial exploitation
Violation of rights
Ageism is prevalent in society. Ageism promotes an atmosphere in which the elderly are devalued, negatively stereotyped, and discriminated against.
Our life expectancy has increased dramatically. This means that, when we are “elderly,” we actually have many years left.
If health remains good, the elderly lead very active lives.
Physical changes can be rough on the elderly (e.g., lost mobility) and affect their attitudes.
Some researchers believe that the elderly disengage from social activities as they age, especially as their friends begin to die.
The AARP has over 40 million members and is the second largest interest group in the nation.
The elderly represent 20 percent of the voting public today and they vote at very high rates.
The percentage will increase.
What will be the outcome?
But being old is a difficult stage in life for many.
