The burden of support : young Latinos in an aging society /

The basic point of this book is that US society in the future will be composed of an older population that is mostly Anglo; a youth population that is more heavily Latino; and a work force having a much larger proportion of minority workers. The question is how will this work force provide, and will it be able to provide, support for both youth and the elderly? What does a population composition like this portend for the US economy and quality of life? Will ethnicity become (or remain) a divisive factor? Using California population data throughout most of the book, the authors give alternative projections for the state's economy under various assumptions about fertility, mortality, and migration. They review age-ethnic group differentials in employment, income, education, health care, and political participation, identifying the age-ethnic "gap." Their conclusion is that special care must be taken now by policymakers to guarantee the continuity of the intergenerational compact (the implicit consensus that workers will care for the young and the elderly) by meeting current needs, thus ensuring the preparedness of groups with less attachment to the political process. Although containing much technical material, the book has excellent graphics, is clearly written, and is accessible to a variety of audiences. Anyone who cares about the future should read it. -M. A. Martindale, University of Maryland at College Park (formerly)