Population ageing and intergenerational relations in southern Africa : A case study of South Africa and Botswana

The objectives of this paper are ; (a) to trace the population aging underway in South Africa and Botswana and (b) to explain its impacts on the changing patterns of intergenerational relations.
The process of aging is slow in both countries. In South Africa, proportion of aged 65+ is 5.4 percent in 2007 while it is 5.0 percent in Botswana in 2001. The median age has increased from 15.7 years to 20.1 years in Botswana. The index of aging, defined as the proportion of population 65+ to the population aged below 15 years, has moved from 16 to 18 percent only, which , again, implies slow aging process in the country.

The process of population aging is seriously hampered by AIDS related deaths. Botswana ranks among the hardest hit with an overall HIV prevalence of 17.1 percent and in South Africa it is 11.1 percent. It appears that the impact of HIV/AIDS is comparatively higher among males.

The socio-economic impacts of the aging process ,especially on the emerging patterns of intergenerational relations, will be elaborated in the paper.