Pandemic and the Ills of Age Segregation

For all the discussion about aging in place in recent years, the history of the United States during the industrial era and into current days is one of increasing age segregation, according to an article by Stephen Mihm.

"In 1850, nearly 70% of individuals age 65 or older lived with their adult children," according to Mihm. "By the 1930s, the percentage of elderly whites living with their children declined to just under 40 percent; by century’s end, it had fallen all the way to 13 percent."

After explaining why this massive demographic shift occurred during the 20th century, Mihm concludes by listing a few reasons why the trend is problematic. 

A growing body of research suggests segregating people by age isn’t healthy for anyone, young or old, and that it has helped fuel divisions in the nation’s politics: When generations live apart, political polarization follows — the 2016 election comes to mind. But these concerns, rarely articulated, haven’t come close to raising societal alarms.

The pandemic might be the occasion that raises more of those societal alarms, according to Mihm.