Title: Emerging Social Issues of Population Ageing in Sri Lanka
Description: Population ageing is an inevitable outcome of a positive demographic trend resulting in the decline of fertility and mortality. People over 60 years of age are considered old because they undergo certain changes in their social roles and activities and also become more prone to disease and disabilities. The majority of older persons in Sri Lanka continue to live in multi-generational households, most of them with their children  and grandchildren. In a study of inter-generational support with regard to the elderly and their children in Sri Lanka, it was found that co-residence with children is preferred by majority (75%) of the elderly population.Male children are more likely to provide material support to their parents while females provide support in kind. The contribution of the elderly to their children has also been growing in recent years. With the changes in family structure,the notion of grand-parenting has assumed importance in household activities. When both parents are employed outside the home or when women migrate for employment abroad, older persons mainly grandparents act as primary caregivers for children and other family members.

In the urban settings, social networks developed through neighbours and friends over the life course form an important source of supplementary support for the elderly and adds to their social capital. Participation in economic and social life of the community enables older persons to contribute productively to society. The older persons with their ever increasing numbers in the total population have the potential to become more influential politically, economically and socially. Older persons should therefore, have the opportunity to actively engage in the development process so that their skills, experience and knowledge can be utilized for the development of the country. About 57 percent of males in the age group 60-64 years and more the 48 per cent in the age category 65-69 years were economically active in 2001. While this is encouraging , more opportunities for elderly to contribute to economic activities should be made available.

The creation of new products and services for the growing elderly persons will further stimulate the growth of employment and open up new markets. While demographic changes by themselves, may capture the attention of policy makers with respect to issues that concern older persons, greater political and community involvement of older persons will be an important factor in drawing attention to their needs