Age pyramids: types and types of age structures

The most important indicators of the demographic well-being of the population are age. Sociology, studying it, applies various methods, including age pyramids, which allow us to see the processes of reproduction of the population in dynamics.

The concept of age in sociology and demography

The age of the population and the individual are important indicators for sociology and psychology. On the age-related status, there are many social roles that influence social relations. The number of years lived since the birth of a person, determines its position in society and requires the implementation of certain patterns of behavior. There are several varieties of age:

- Absolute, it's passport or calendar. This is the number of years in the number of lived time from the date of birth;

- biological, or the age of development, the antipode of the calendar, means the degree of morphological development of the organism at a certain point in life;

- mental, determining the development of intelligence and psyche at a particular moment in life;

- social, is characterized by the level of social achievements for the average person of a particular age.

The age category in sociology and demography allows answering questions about trends in the development of the population and making forecasts on the movement of society in the future.

The concept of the age structure of the population

Age structures are the allocation of groups of people by the number of years. For the first time such a method of population classification was applied even in ancient China, where the first age scale was compiled, it included 6 stages: youth, age of marriage, time of performing public duties, age of knowledge of one's own delusions, the last creative age, the desired age and old age. It is already clear from this scheme that the age structure is an important indicator of a person's social activity . Modern sociology distinguishes such periods as childhood, youth, maturity and old age. To solve various research problems, scientists distinguish other stages of human development in time. Today, scientists talk about the age structure of the population of different countries, assess the difference between them, build age pyramids, which help to identify the dynamics of demographic processes. The term "age structure of the population" appears in the 19th century, it refers to the distribution of the population with certain age characteristics across the country and the planet as a whole.

Studying the age structure of the population

The study of age is the starting point in the study of many social processes. A study of this phenomenon is necessary to monitor the dynamics of socio-economic processes, which are based on demography. Information on the age structure of the population makes it possible to identify the causes of the increase and decrease in the birth rate and mortality, and to seek ways to solve the problems associated with these phenomena.

It is important to accurately determine the purpose for which the age and sex pyramid is built in order to extract the maximum useful information from it. Knowing the structure of the population, it is possible to forecast and plan the social and economic activities of the state and business. This information will allow to predict which goods and services can be claimed at different time intervals, form a budget for various social payments and build a policy for the development of human capital.

Methods of studying age structures

There are several methods that help to collect information about the age parameters of the population. The simplest and most common way is monitoring, which is built on the analysis of statistical data. Questioning methods are also widely used, the most famous of which is the census. Each state periodically conducts population censuses, which allow collecting information on the age structure of the country. Most often, these data are examined together with information on sexual distribution. The goal of the age-sexual pyramid is to present the differences and similarities between the distribution of ages among the gender groups of the population. This information allows us to evaluate the consequences of socio-economic events and plan future social policies.

The concept of the age-sexual pyramid

The first systematic census of the number of people in a country of the same age begins in the 19th century. In 1895 the Scandinavian scientist AG Sundberg proposed to create diagrams that would record a collection of one-year-olds at certain moments in the country. So began the practice of creating age pyramids. Later, the sex parameter was added, it made it possible to compare the number of men and women of the same age, to estimate the dynamics and the overall duration of their life.

To build an age pyramid, you need to collect quantitative information and present it in a diagram. Vertical in it marks age, and the horizontal - the number of people. The foundation of the pyramid is always wider than the rest, since it is made up of newborns, then the number of people to the last recorded oldest person begins to decrease. One horizontal bar can mean the number of people per year, 5 or 10 years, depending on the information collected.

Classification of age pyramids

There are varieties of pyramids with different time intervals, the most detailed is the type with an interval of 1 year, but it requires a lot of work to collect information, more often there are 5 and 10-year models. International standards recommend the use of a 5-year interval for population estimates. It is also customary to distinguish the types of age pyramids in accordance with the variant of the society, so there appeared models of the growing population, in this case the diagram is as close as possible to the correct pyramid, stable-aging generation, in the form of a bell and a decreasing number of people, in the form of an urn. Another reason for classifying age pyramids is the regions. Thus, models of developed and developing countries are singled out . This allows you to compare regions and identify their fundamental differences. It is also possible to build pyramids of certain population groups, for example, representatives of ethnic communities or migrants.

Growing types of pyramids

The age-sex pyramid of the population, in which the younger generation predominates over the old, is called progressive, or growing. Usually, such societies are characterized by high birth rates. Populations with such indicators are characterized by a large number of young people, most often in such societies there is a low life expectancy and high mortality, only a small part of the population lives to the senile age. Often this type of reproduction of human resources is called simple or primitive, since social protection and the economy do not participate in it.

Stationary types of pyramids

The stationary age pyramid of the population is characterized by low or absent population growth rates. This model is also called stationary, since in it the number of newborns is equal to the number of people of young and middle age, and only the number of elderly people decreases as they reach 65-70 years, but not abruptly, but smoothly. Such pyramids testify to birth problems and require government intervention, since for a long time the society can not be in such a state, and the pyramid passes into the next type - the aging one.

Descending types of pyramids

The pyramid, in which mortality slows down and the birth rate decreases, is called aging, or decreasing. In the structure of such a society, middle and old people predominate, newborns and young people are few and over the years such countries are doomed to extinction. Such states have a clear problem with the material support of the elderly, as young people, who would make money into pension funds, little or no. Regressive types of society can lead to the disappearance of the population.

Analysis of age pyramids

Conducting a population census and creating age charts allows you to obtain absolute and relative data. Thus, the analysis of the age-sexual pyramid and its comparison with previous data make it possible to determine the total population, its total and natural increase, the death rate, the growth of the number of people of different sexes, that is, a large set of statistical information. Traditionally, the analysis of age pyramids occurs according to three main parameters: fertility, mortality and migration. The most important indicator is the duration of life, it allows you to judge the social welfare of the country. The analysis of pyramids helps to allocate the most significant age contingents for the subsequent research.

Pyramids of developed countries

The main trend in the age structure of developed countries is the aging of the population. Due to the high quality of medical services and a decent standard of living, the life expectancy of the population of these countries is steadily growing, the leader here is Japan, which has a fairly pronounced population of people after the age of 80 years. Moreover, the birth rate in the developed countries is also steadily falling. Even the US age pyramid, in which there have always been a large number of newborns, has become stationary in recent years, and this is an alarming symptom. The US saves while the immigration of young people, which gives birth to children, but in insufficient quantities. But Europe, especially the northern one, has already crossed the line and demonstrates a regressive model of the age structure.

Pyramids of developing countries

The states of the "third world" have a completely different age structure. The sex-age pyramid in such states belongs to the youth type. Especially the Asian regions show high and even the highest birth rate and short life of people. Only China slightly increases life expectancy, and India, Iran, Vietnam and other countries in the region have a very low rate in this parameter. Therefore, problems arise here, such as unemployment, a shortage of highly skilled personnel, and a low standard of living. But the youngest continent today is Africa, this is due to the high mortality and short life expectancy of people. African states realize a simple way of reproduction, compensating for the loss of population by a huge birth rate.

Russian age pyramids

The age-and-gender pyramid of Russia differs from similar schemes for many countries by the presence of several deep "wounds," failures in terms of population, these are traces of war, as well as less noticeable losses of crisis periods. Russia today is rapidly changing from a stationary type to an aging one. The growth of fertility, despite the titanic efforts of the state, is meager, and the life expectancy is growing slowly. This leads to the fact that in the country more than 60% of the population are people over 65 years old. Such an age structure is fraught with severe economic consequences: young people simply are not able to provide for the elderly. Sociologists say that huge empty territories of the country will certainly attract migrants and this will solve the country's demographic problems, if there are no serious social and economic consequences of such resettlement.

Demographic problems of our time and indicators of the pyramids

Modern age pyramids demonstrate obvious demographic problems in developed countries. The aging of the population in these states will lead to socio-economic difficulties. Today, Europe is subjected to a migration test, which helps to solve the problem of the necessary rejuvenation of the population, but this new generation does not want to work and support the retirees of Europe. Therefore, the dynamics of age structures can change for the better, but the cultural and social status of this population will change. The question of what is happening with the age pyramid of developing countries, today worries sociologists, as the growing population of Africa and Asia leads to overcrowding of the planet, which entails the inevitable depletion of resources.