Young Peoples Relationship with and Attitudes toward the Old in Qatar - Assignment Example

The population of Qatar, as can be seen from the above statistics, consists mainly of the youthful generation. In this case, young people are aged between 15 and 24 as defined by the World Health Organisation (WHO) (WHO 5).Attitudes and Relationships toward the oldThe attitudes of the younger generations toward and relationship with the old in Qatar are quite varied and are affected by various factors. The factors that affect the young people’s attitudes toward the old are not reserved to the state of Qatar but commonly applied to other parts of the world as well.

Some of these factors include racial/ethnic/cultural, religious, and educational background (Hagestad 515).In Qatar, the transition to old age is characterized by retirement, poor health, advanced chronological age, death of a spouse as well as mental and physical weakening. Some of the attitudes that youth have toward the aged are negative as the latter are associated with unproductiveness, forgetfulness, intellectual rigidness and other stereotypical notions leading to discrimination and prejudice against them (Sijuwade 1).

No wonder many youths in Qatar prefer not to work with the aged. On the other hand, some people associate old age with wisdom, blessedness, and respect. As a matter of fact, attitudes may change over time. In 50 years' time, the current young population will be aged and newer generations in existence. The population of the aged in the state will probably be greater than it is now, the literacy level higher than it is today. There is a high likelihood that the aged population will be viewed in a positive light then considering various factors.