Are Demographics Destiny: Contending with America’s Looming Demographic Upheavals

October 17, 2009 In this report, Susan Raymond, Ph.D., Executive Vice President, and Mary Beth Martin, Esq., Senior Managing Director, Changing Our World, Inc., discuss their thoughts on how America has become an aging nation. The story of aging, and its implications for philanthropy, extends far beyond even these striking numbers. First, the larger economic consequences are significant. By 2025, nearly 80% of dependents will be elderly rather than children. Elder dependency has three times the societal support costs of youth dependency. Second, personal costs will also rise. Average women life expectancy is 85 years and the conventional wisdom . . .