Aging Population Issue of Hong Kong - Research Paper Example

Hong Kong is one of the developed countries in the world today that has a low birth rate and a high portion of an aging population. This feature originates from an improved quality of life which enables individuals in this country to live longer lives that do not require children to be the sole providers of their families (Woo 2013, p. 25). The population increase in the last 50 years did not result in an increase in birth rates in Hong Kong. This is attributable to existing statistics which have indicated that the birth rate in Hong Kong has relatively remained constant and the sudden rise in the population could be attributed to successful strides in the field of medicine and sanitation which have played an essential role in reducing the mortality rate in such a way that children are able to live into their adulthood while those who are already in the adult stage live a relatively longer lives (Woo 2013, p. 26).In the world today the residents of Hong Kong comprise those who live relatively long lives.

It is currently normal for individuals to surpass the ages of 70 and 80 and this has been necessitated calls to ease the retirement limits since individuals in their old age are considered as relatively strong and productive in their senior years (Woo 2013, p. 29). The main objective of this paper is to provide a critical literature review on the perspective of different scholars on the issues related to the aging population in Hong Kong. This paper will also provide critical analysis of past experiences and the current situation of the aging population issue in Hong Kong.

Literature reviewDefinition of agingThere is no single and global definition of aging. However, Teague and MacNeil (1992, p. 38) view this phenomenon of aging from about six perspectives. These include the legal, chronological, biological, socio-cultural, personal, and legal perspectives. An author’s selection of any of the definitions of aging is highly dependent on the focus and objective of his or her works.The chronological model, for instance, uses calendar years as an essential measure of age.

This is the most commonly used viewpoint (Teague and McNeil 1992, p. 45). While agreeing with this definition of aging, Levinson et al (1978, p. 71) use four important stages in the definition of an individual’s lifecycle. These include the childhood stage, adolescence, early, middle and late adulthood.