Grey matters: caring for the elderly
In a country where longevity is becoming the norm
and birth rates are languid, the population pyramid is
growing top heavy.Traditionally, the elder generation
has remained within the familial home, cared for by
their descendants.The majority still are, but practices
are changing. More and more Spaniards are moving to
residential or care homes in later life. With state run
institutions oversubscribed and private ones proving
costly there may be trouble ahead.
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- Identity: the
building blocks of
2. Literature
and philosophy
3. Art and
architecture
4. Performing
arts
5. Cinema
and fashion
6. Media and
communications
7. Food and drink 8. Living culture:
the details of
Projections suggest that
by 2050 Spain will have
the oldest average age
in the world. Around
37 per cent of the
population will be over
65 – it currently stands
at 17 per cent.
Taking a new broom
to tradition
A new stipulation on
civil marriage contracts,
introduced in 2005,
obliges men and women
to share household
chores and care for
children and elderly
relatives. The law was
introduced after stats
showed Spanish women
were doing five times
more housework than
men. Certain women’s
rights groups opposed
the ‘housework law’,
saying it trivialised the
issue of sexual equality.
