The demography of ageing and families in Australia

This paper discusses Australian research on the demography of ageing and the family and identifies frontiers for further inquiry. Beginning with the topics of demographic ageing and demographic theory, the paper then outlines studies concerned with population projections, living arrangements and the ethnic minority aged. Later section's provide an overview of the changing characteristics of cohorts reaching later life and of avenues for further advancement of the field. The paper nominates four priorities for future demographic research namely: (i) projections of the characteristics of the aged, (ii) the ageing of ethnic minorities, (iii) the links between the life cycle experiences of different generations within families and (iv) the impact of socio-economic status on life chances.