The new demographic landscape of the country, the new needs created by the aging of the population, as well as the policies to be taken to halt the country’s demographic withering and support of the family, were discussed at the theme event on Demographic, as part of the 3rd celebration of September 3 in September 3. PASOK.
The teacher Byron KotzamanDirector of Research in the Institute of Demography Research Research, Idem has summed up changes to the country’s demographic landscape since the 1950s. “We have over -concentration in the area, as 50% of the population has gathered in less than 2% of the surface and 57% in 100 only of the 14,000 settlements in the country. Also, in the last 20 years, the increase in life expectancy in Greece has been lower than in most European countries. The others go like hares, we like turtles, “he said.
He raised the issue of birth reduction, as as they were born in 1935, they had an average of 1,000 pairs of 2,150 children, those born in the 1960s made 1,000 pairs of 2,000 children, while young people born in the ’80s will have 1,000 pairs of only 1,450 children.
Referring to the increase in over 65, approaching 23% of the population, Mr Kotzamanis stressed: “We also have an aging in aging. The special weight of 85 and on this category has increased shocking. That is, today almost 1 in 4 are from 65 years old and over 1 in 5 are from 85 years old and over. ” He identified Arta, Preveza, Evritania, Fthiotida, Fokida as the most “old” counties of the country, where more than 1 in 3 are over 65 years old.
As a result, in the last 13 years, our country has faced a population decline of 720,000, of which 510,000 are more deaths than births. “Births and deaths cannot become positive in the next 50 years,” Mr Kotzamanis said, stressing the need to limit the 60,000 deaths over births a year.
“Radical measures must be taken to reversed the tendency of young couples to have fewer children than their parents. We can limit the deficit to 50,000. He wants policy measures, he alone is not. We also need to have a positive immigration balance, with the return of young people who have left our country and a reasoned influx of aliens who need to be incorporated into our country. Overall, we want about 1.5 million in the next 35 years, “he concluded.
Setting the dimension of the regional differences of demographic change, Dr. Demography and the main researcher of the EKKE, Paul Baltasyou emphasized that “the measures to be taken for demographic cannot be horizontal”. It was example for the regions of Western Macedonia and Central Greece, where, according to the data of the latest censuses, the population decline is at -10%and -7%respectively, when the national average is -3%, while Crete retained the population (+0.2%) and the southern Aegean increased by 6%.
Mr Baltas ranked the intensity of demographic change in three types: the large urban centers that collect the youth population, in the rural areas where we have the phenomenon of rural furrows and the remote areas facing extreme aging problems.
“Measures and policies should be adapted to the needs of each area. Elsewhere, these will be comforting, so that those who are there are not disrupted by the state, welfare, health benefits, elsewhere, should be regenerated by rural areas, with the restraint of the population. While urban centers should address low fertility and great aging, “he said.
He also stressed that the measures beyond reversal should also be adapted to reality. Since we are moving towards a society in which 1 in 3 will be over 65 in 2050, this creates special needs in the health system, infrastructure, urbanization and more.
By presenting some of the findings of the research on what the Greeks believe, the Director Faye Makandassisfocus on the Fertility Gap, with the general population responding to 2.6 on “how many kids would you like to do” and women at reproductive age 2.4, that is, a child more than they do.
Regarding the suspensive factors, “the overwhelming majority report financial difficulties and insecurity, while second comes the lack of relevant infrastructure,” he said, commenting that the influence of benefits is only marginal. “It’s clear – and we have to realize everyone – that what has changed is the way of life,” he said.
In particular, young people identify low earnings, unemployment and inability to find accessible housing, which affect the intention of childbirth. Ms Makantasis made a special reference to demographic projections for the country’s economically active population, which is expected to be reduced by 1 million by 2050, directly affecting the country’s economic growth.
“The two modern family policy trends are the end of matters, that is, how the father’s active involvement in the upbringing of children leads to second and third births, and the Scandinavian, that is, generous licenses to both parents,” he said. And he added: “To achieve the harmonization of family and professional life, we primarily need a great deal of support for preschool education. It is the most negligible level of education in Greece, with the highest contribution to social inequalities, ”he concluded.
The coordinator of the debate and secretary of the PASOK Change Division, Social Cohesion and Family, EfkosHe emphasized in summary that “demographic is not a matter of numbers or statistics, but it is an issue of a new productive model of the country and a new socio -economic reality that touches on issues of governance, equality and justice.”