Population Aging In Türki̇ye Within The Framework Of Social Problems Sociolog

Abstract

The problem of population aging is a demographic phenomenon that is focused on globally, and national and international policies are prepared for the solution of the problem by comprehensively evaluating its positive and negative effects. The fact that today’s conditions, which have changed as a result of social, scientific and technological developments, affect many factors such as the decrease in birth rates and the prolongation of human life, is considered as the main reason for population aging. The negative dimension of population aging is discussed in terms of threatening the continuity and functioning of the society and laying the groundwork for the threats to the future of that society. The phenomenon of population aging has been studied in the light of many disciplines today, both nationally and globally, it has been evaluated as a ‘social problem’, its effects have been analyzed and solutions have been tried to be presented.

In this context, the current study tries to explain the phenomenon of population aging as a social problem and its results from a sociological perspective within the scope of sociology of social problems. In this study, the aging of the population in Turkey as a social problem depending on social phenomena (birth, death, marriage, divorce rates, labor force, employment, education, migration, urbanization) is discussed based on statistical data. Therefore, an evaluation has been made on the possible sociological consequences of the existence of population aging as a social problem in Turkey. In this context, in this study, the questions of the sociology of social problems ‘Is every problem a social problem’ or ‘how does a phenomenon become a social problem’ and ‘what processes does it go through?’ are taken into consideration by considering Herbert Blumer’s view of ‘the process of defining a social problem in a society’. answer has been sought. Accordingly, it is aimed to present which of the social problem stages of H. Blumer’s population aging in Turkey represents. In the study, the reasons for the legitimization of population aging as a social problem in Turkey, what the social sources of population aging might be, how this phenomenon is legitimized as a problem, what social consequences it can create, and how this problem will be shaped through solution and intervention strategies are emphasized.

The method of the study is literature review and descriptive evaluation of document statistics. Macro statistical data of TURKSTAT, OECD, UN institutions were used and secondary sociological analyzes were carried out on these primary data. As a result of the study, social aspects of population aging in Turkey, such as decrease in birth and marriage rates, increase in divorce rates, increase in education level, women’s transition to active working life outside the home, and increase in economic welfare due to migration and urbanization processes, come to the fore. Population aging is a social problem for Turkey and different social resources are involved in the construction of this problem. Thus, in this study, it is explained why population aging is a social problem in Turkey, its social resources and at what stage of definition of social problem population aging takes place through Blumer.