Mălina Palcu, 10A
The last decades represent this period of decline in population all over Europe, as it is believed that it is an ageing continent. Nevertheless, not only Europe, but Asia as well are considered the ‘old world’ due to the fact that people had knowledge of them before the age of major discoveries, thus they are more populated by older generations.
Studies have shown that the European population is on average 12 years older than the rest of the world. This is down to an abundance of causes such as the brain drain and the longer life expectancy. Nowadays, many people aspire to live abroad as they have a multitude of career opportunities. The United States has the largest immigrant population in the world, making it a prosperous country due to its intensive workforce.
Another factor which affirms the idea that Europe is an old continent is the decrease in mortality over the last decades, as there has been an improvement regarding the elders’ life expectancy. This has a major influence on the workforce as the legal age for retirement could eventually be changed in case the younger population has to suffer due to the lack of newborns that will take over.
People might be intrigued as to why there are fewer couples in the world that are able to conceive. Infertility can affect both genders and can be caused by a multitude of health problems, however, it can also be determined by the dietary plan, living conditions and mental health. People nowadays seem to be stressed out by everything and this type of behaviour can lead to egregious issues in the future as it correlates to the physical health status.
Talking about this on a smaller scale, Romania is known for its population ageing. This happened after communism during which people were forced to keep their pregnancies and had no access to contraceptive methods. The Decree 770 was intended to create a new and larger Romanian population by raising the birth rate. However, after the fall of the communist regime, people had access to contraception and abortions which led to a drastic plummet regarding the natality rate, and therefore it affected the active population.
All in all, these are a few ideas that concern the presented subject regarding how Europe is seen as an old continent. These are all down to how the human race is evolving or involved in many cases, as this ageing process can’t be stopped but diminished.
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