Le papy boom

Every month the association Futuribles International organizes a Round Table on a topic of current interest, introduced by one or more authors of a recent book or report that tries to look to the future.
On 26 February 2001, we had a lecture-discussion with Robert Rochefort, the head of Crédoc (Centre de recherche pour l’étude et l’observation des conditions de vie -the Centre for Research and Observation of Living Conditions), who has recently published Vive le papy boom! (Hurray for the Grandparent Boom, Paris: Odile Jacob, 2000). Usually the accounts of these meetings are circulated only to members of the association, but here we share the results of this Round Table, during which Robert Rochefort presented, from an extremely optimistic point of view, all the benefits that can be expected to accrue in France as the large baby boom generation reaches the age of 60.
While not denying the challenges linked to the boom in grandparents, especially with regard to funding pensions and to high dependency rates, Rochefort argued that the elderly -spared the handicaps of old age until ever greater ages- could provide a driving force in creating a new kind of society. Probably, people would be phased gradually into retirement rather than suddenly stopping work; and the elderly population not only represents a large market but also a potential workforce available for both paid and voluntary activities.
The old of tomorrow will not be like those of the past, Robert Rochefort argues. They are likely to play a key role in shaping values, especially in favour of independence and solidarity, including within families of four or five generations, and in providing stability in a society that has lost its bearings.