POPULATION AGEING AND EMERGING INTERGENERATIONAL INEQUALITIES IN SRI LANKA

Abstract

Ageing in Sri Lanka is more rapid compared to other developing countries, especially South Asian countries.  This is due to the rapid demographic transition which was influenced by the speedy advancement of health and education in the country supportingincreasing life expectancy at birth and reducing total fertility rates of the country.  However, thischanging demographic scenario of the country, along with social development, has created intergenerational gaps as several generations liveduringthe same time and differences in attitudes between elderly parent generation and adult children generation have emerged.  This study examines the emerging intergenerational inequalities due to the speedygrowth of the ageing population and family change in Sri Lanka.This study is based on a survey carried out in the Galle district, Sri Lanka with a sample of 300 elders and 150 adult children. Stratified sampling and simple random sampling techniques were used and data were analyzed through uni-variate and bivariate analysis using SPSS software. This study showed that the traditional and cultural norm of elderly care has been changing with changing attitudes among the adult children generation due to their changing life patterns in the present society. This study further revealed that half of the adult children are of the opinion that the reason for not living with elderly parents is to have a free life after marriage without kin influence, whilst one fifth of them want to maintain the privacy oftheir immediate family.  Therefore, this study further revealed that intergenerational inequalities between generations are emerging and creating several issues in relation to elderly care.