IELTS Essay: Value of Old Age and Youth

Vocabulary

What do the words in bold below mean? Make some notes on paper to aid memory and then check below.

In certain nations, the interests of elderly people are prioritized over younger generations. In my opinion, although young people are important for economic reasons, valuing an older population is a revealing commitment to human dignity.

Those who value the youth in a nation argue they form a country’s economic base. There is little doubt that the majority of all workforces globally are comprised of young adults and middle-aged citizens. The average working age in nearly all industries is around 30. Young people have the energy, passion, and motivation to work hard and achieve not only for the good of society but also to establish a higher standard of living for themselves and their families. It is therefore logical that governments should ensure younger generations have ample access to education and the resources needed to become contributing members of society. They will contribute the most in all likelihood.

However, human progress is about more than simply utilitarian benefits. In the past, it might have been necessary for human civilization to cruelly neglect older populations when they were fighting wars and resources were scarce. That is no longer the situation. Most countries, even developing ones, can now afford to provide healthcare for all citizens and some degree of retirement support. By undertaking these kindnesses, humans distinguish themselves clearly from their basest and most animalistic instincts. This can be understood as the surest sign that humanity is an evolved species culturally, socially, and emotionally and trumps any materialistic concerns related to growing already mature economies.

In conclusion, though there are utilitarian reasons to support youth movements, it is more important and principled to value older people. This is already done in some cultures but should be more widespread.