Demographic Futures: Political Adaptations and Social Transformations
Assessing the economic security of current and future generations in old age requires a comprehensive life-course approach. Various interrelated factors—social, economic, and health-related—shape individuals' lives over time and complicate efforts to evaluate future outcomes. In many countries, the complexity of pension systems limits the ability to make definitive projections about the economic well-being of future retirees. However, recent structural reforms across different regions suggest that future retirement incomes will differ significantly in both composition and adequacy from those of today’s older adults.
Old age must increasingly be understood as a political and social challenge. As demographic shifts reshape the age composition of populations, welfare states may need to reconfigure their age-based frameworks, rethinking how societies define solidarity, responsibility, and justice across generations. In the context of shrinking working-age populations and macroeconomic constraints, socially regulated employment systems face urgent questions about sustainability and fairness. New generations are likely to be fewer in number, which amplifies the pressure on public systems and calls for innovative models of intergenerational balance.
These demographic transitions impact a wide range of social domains: labor markets, retirement policies, healthcare and caregiving systems, family structures, social networks, and civic participation. Addressing these challenges requires coordinated policy responses that promote both inter- and intra-generational equity.
While old age is not synonymous with dependency, the prevalence of chronic illness, disability, and functional decline increases with age, raising the importance of care infrastructures that uphold dignity and autonomy. Globally, the care sector is undergoing a slow but necessary process of professionalization. This evolution calls for new frameworks of evaluation—particularly those grounded in ethics, equity, and social accountability—beyond conventional indicators of workforce development.
Care environments for aging populations must move toward more individualized, person-centered models. Yet across diverse national contexts, many systems remain fragmented or under-resourced, with gaps at the intersections of medical, social, and familial care arrangements. At the same time, promising new approaches are emerging around the world—ranging from dementia care innovations and age-friendly community programs to lifelong learning institutions for older adults.
This international dialogue will be hosted in Turkey, a country that both reflects these global challenges and serves as a site of experimentation in gerontological practice and policy. The conference offers an opportunity to exchange cross-national insights, share institutional innovations, and collaboratively reimagine the social contract across generations.
We look forward to gathering in Antalya in October 2026.