title: Limits and possibilities relating to family structure and care of the aged in populations with unprecedentedly low fertility.
abstract: "While demographic conditions need not necessarily be prime determinants of the quality of people's lives, there can be no doubt that they determine the limits of that quality.  This paper discusses these limits with reference to family and kinship structure, and particularly the wellbeing of the elderly, in European populations (both in Europe and overseas) currently subject to especially high rates of ageing as a result, primarily, of unprecedentedly low fertility.  Emphasis is placed on the fact of heterogeneity within populations, the great variety of possible social responses to human needs and demographic conditions, and the fact that the future is fraught with uncertainty, despite the degree of ineluctability associated with certain demographic processes."  Comparative data for Australia are presented.
authors.forename: L H
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Day
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001723:Birth Rate; D003469:Culture; D003710:Demography; D019049:Developed Countries; D004467:Economics; D004641:Emigration and Immigration; D005006:Ethnicity; D005060:Europe; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005195:Family Relations; D005298:Fertility; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D011153:Population; D011154:Population Characteristics; D011157:Population Dynamics; D011788:Quality of Life; D012922:Social Change; D012946:Social Welfare; D014171:Transients and Migrants
keywords: Adult; Age Distribution; Age Factors; Aged; Birth Rate; Cultural Background; Demographic Aging; Demographic Factors; Developed Countries; Economic Factors; Ethnic Groups; Europe; Family And Household; Family Characteristics; Family Relationships; Fertility; Fertility Measurements; Fertility Rate; Heterogeneity; Low Fertility Population; Migrants; Migration; Needs; Population; Population Characteristics; Population Dynamics; Quality Of Life; Social Development; Social Welfare