Intergenerational inequity arguments and the implications for state-funded financial support of older people

Abstract

As population demographics shift towards an older population structure in the Western world, concerns about the future costs of pensions are apparent in politics, media and everyday conversations. In New Zealand, the universal state-funded pension paid to all citizens over the age of 65 years is often considered to be unsustainable in the context of population ageing. To examine the arguments surrounding universal superannuation, rhetorical analysis was undertaken on two New Zealand newspaper articles that discussed the future cost of pensions, and the 233 public responses these articles generated. The cost of superannuation was used to emphasise the different characteristics of each generational cohort and the ways that this produced inequity across generations. Claims of intergenerational inequity generated antagonism and widened divisions between generational groups. Foregrounding generational inequity in the discussion of superannuation has profound implications for state-funded income support for older people which relies upon widespread public support. Intergenerational inequity ignores the significant inequity in health and social circumstances in retirement among older New Zealanders and overlooks the significant impact of universal superannuation on protecting older New Zealanders from poverty in later life.

Age management in the workplace: manager and older worker accounts of policy and practice

“…Older people are often framed as an expensive group, responsible for the inequalities experienced by younger generations (Hurley et al ., 2017). In a context where individual identity is focused on the labour market (Beck, 1992), the ‘problem’ of population ageing is increasingly addressed by governments internationally through a focus on (the socially legitimising force of) work and work-related activity (Biggs and Kimberley, 2013).…”

“I choose to go without everything really”: Moral imperatives, economic choice and ageing

“…In the context of debate on intergenerational equity and re‐distribution of resources from older to younger groups (Binstock ; Hurley et al . ), and in terms of debates about entitlement to care and care for others (Eifert et al . ) this narrative positioning has the potential to profoundly influence the lives of older people into the future.…”

A Longitudinal Effect of Intergenerational Support on Psychological Well-Being of Rural Elderly

“…The elderly gets the financial support from children to make the life more secure, to make the value of life and the role of parents is recognized by friends, and to make self-esteem is maintained, so that they can actively or passively communicate life experience with peers and youngers, aimed to getting mutual help and communicating with people in a happy life. Therefore, that enhances the old people's happiness and reduces loneliness, and ultimately it can improve the psychological well-being level and reduce depression in older people [13]. A lack of financial support lead to the economic dependence on their children and makes the elderly has low self-esteem and negative emotions, worsening [14].…”