Introduction: race and ethnicity and population ageing

The race and ethnic composition of the older population in the United States (US) is expected to change in the coming decades. The older population is becoming more racially and ethnically diverse as the overall race and minority ethnic population grows (Administration on Aging, 2010). Furthermore, minority populations aged 65 and older are expected to increase from 8.0 million in 2010 (20.1% of the older population) to 12.9 million in 2020 (23.6%) (Administration on Aging, 2010). These trends have important implications for the racial/ ethnic composition of America's ageing population and for how we think about inequality over the lifecourse. The goal of this chapter is to trace the significance of race/ethnicity for the population ageing. Specifically, using the available demographic data, we focus on the diversity of the older population itself as well as on the diversity of younger cohorts in view of future workforce and implications for health/long-term care in the ageing American society.

This chapter describes the significance of race and ethnicity – mainly by focusing on non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic black and Hispanic peoples in the US – for population ageing in the US (that is, an increase in the numbers or proportions of older people at the societal level), which results from a combination of three main demographic factors: fertility, mortality and migration1 (Weeks, 2008). In this chapter, we trace the pathways that link race and ethnicity to population ageing, with an emphasis on social inequality and health in American society (Link and Phelan, 1995; Kawachi and Kennedy, 1997). We adopt a relatively narrow definition of ‘inequality’, focusing on socioeconomic status and health, although inequality could also be considered the general differences between racial/ethnic groups in other contexts. We also highlight the complex relationship between race and ethnicity, and social inequality, which may directly and indirectly impact on population ageing through various processes and outcomes related to health (Williams and Wilson, 2001).

This chapter consists of four sections. The first section explains race and ethnicity in the American historical context. In the second section, we discuss the theoretical relationships between race and ethnicity, social inequality and population ageing. The third section summarises recent sociodemographic and socioeconomic trends, and their relationship to health and population ageing vis-á-vis race and ethnicity.