This provocative statement from Professor Bert Rürup struck
a chord at the second day of the Berlin Demography Forum
(BDF). The chairman of the executive board of the German
Institute for Economic Research spoke out for extending the
working age, increasing full employment for women and
mandatory pre-school years and all-day schooling in
Germany.
On the first day of the event Allianz CEO Michael Diekmann
had also promoted extending the school day in a 5-point
plan for Germany that he presented. In addition he pleaded
for a mandatory year of social work for young adults,
changing the country's pay-as-you-go social system to a
capital cover system, improved quality for ambulant and
stationary care and policies that would encourage more
immigration into the Germany.
Policy makers, researchers, business leaders and other
social experts agree: as German society gets older and
older and birth rates continue to decrease, this will
profoundly influence the economic and social systems. But
when it comes to solutions there are many different views.
Germany's interior minister Hans-Peter Friedrich
explained that aging societies also represent an
opportunity. However, it is critical to allow greater
flexibility regarding the three phases in life we are so
used to. Immigration can also contribute to dealing with
the challenges of demography - but is still not the
solution to the problem.
"We don't have too many old people, but rather not
enough young people," said Prof. Ursula Lehr,
Chairwomen of the BDF advisory board and also of the German
Association of Senior Citizen Organizations. "We need
more ways to help people say 'yes' to children, to
found a family. For example, it should be easier for
parents to attend university." On the other hand, she
was pleased that a working mother is no longer seen as
neglecting her children.
According to Professor Renate Köcher, director of the
Allensbach Institute for Demoscopy, elderly care is
becoming a bigger and bigger issue in the public mind.
"There is a great willingness among families to take
on care-giving tasks. However, in order to utilize this
willingness, we need to do more to promote the combining of
elderly care with professional careers.
With over 200 participating experts at the first Berlin
Demography Forum at the European School of Management and
Technology, the events initiators have established a
platform to promote the relevance of the issue for the
general public.
As with all content published on this site, these
statements are subject to our Forward Looking Statement
disclaimer, provided on the right.
