INTRODUCTION

During life, a man passes through different stages such as childhood, adulthood, middle age and old age. Getting old is the result of natural biological changes in the human life. Childhood and old age are those stages in human life that require special care. The care of the aged people reflects the religious and ethical values of our society. With the passage of the time, population of aged people is increasing in the world. Ageing is an issue that needs to be given more importance in the todays materialistic world. That is the reason we have selected the topic the status of aged people in the view of young generation for conducting research. Hypothesis for this research is that the more will be the family ties, lesser will be social isolation. Hence our Research will analyze the impact of family ties on the social isolation of aged people who are victims of the poor treatment of society, their own family and specially the young generation of todays era. All this has affected the status of aged people in family as well as in society.

LITERATURE REVIEW

The old aged people affect all aspects of society which includes health, social, environment related issues, education, business, cultural activities and family life. Ageing is an issue that needs to be given more importance in the todays materialistic world. The population of aged people is increasing all over the world. People living in different countries have different point of view about aging. In Japan, people consider long age as a burden rather than a blessing. At the age of 61 years, old age will start that will bring bundle of illness with itself. (Kawano, spring 2004). In some last decays, population of aged people has also grown in South Asia along with other regions of the world. Increase in the aged population has also raised problems regarding aging like economic growth, social life, and health, their role in society, family and community. Different theories were given which determine the role of older people in the society. One of them is the Dependency Theory which describes that older members of family are fully dependent of their children. But the major factor is the income level. If earning member of the family had little income and hardly fulfills necessities of life then they will consider the older members as a burden. (Chen, april 2001). Another study was conducted on the population of Quetta, to determine the relationship between income level and social isolation and results showed no relationship between these. (Chohan, 2005 2007). In the wake of low income, elderly people are more exposed to the adversities of life. This can be a reason due to which the old values of providing care and respect are eroding due to rapid urbanization, economic and financial pressure and elderly people are considered as a burden rather than a blessing. (ALI & K. KIANI, 2003). Industrialization and modernization on the international level has brought about great changes in the family structure. Joint family system has been changed to nuclear family system. A study was conducted in Gulbarge city of India to determine the status of the aged people in their families. This study shows that aged people have lose value due to nuclear family system. They have to face many problems related to care, basic needs, decision making and social adjustment with other members of the society. (Chandrakumar, 2012). In extended family system, elderly people and their spouses have strong emotional ties as compared to the nuclear family system. (ALI & K. KIANI, 2003). Another factor that impacts the status of the elderly members of family is the family ties which refer to the degree of closeness, intimacy, moral and financial support by the members of the family. Family acts as effective supportive in case of financial, health, housing, bereavement

assistance and emergency situation. The limitation of the family as supportive institution is that aged people do not feel free while discussion with their family members as compared to their aged peers. (Ward, october 1978). Researchers conducted survey to know social, physical and psychological characteristics of the old people. They concluded that when people become old, they become mentally disturbed by societal effect and health. They need some special care, companion with whom they can share and more attention by their family members. (Lowenthal, 1964). During the last years of their lives, aged people require more, happiness, affection and attention by their children and grand children. Study conducted by (shoaib, 2011) shows that old aged people who are supported financially, morally and are given importance by their families, have less health issues. Routine check up by their family member and care give them happiness and this thing increase their days of life. This type of family support also reduces depression, frustration and tension among elderly. Family ties have some consequences on lives of aged people. It affects the health, social isolation, their mental and psychological status. When aged people dont get special care and attention by their families, they become disappointed and mentally disturbed. Ultimately they make themselves isolated. (Lowenthal, 1964). Study was undertaken to determine the factors whether the social factors cause depression in old age. Results shows that major social difficulties i.e. illness or death of someone close and serious personal illness, financial loss, housing and major negative revelation about someone close, present at least 2 years, increase the chances of having depression in the old age. Research shows that these social factors and high risk of depression among elderly having no confiding relationship. However, some personalities are more vulnerable to depression. We cant change personality but improvement in social condition and better health care can improve mental health of elderly. (MURPHY, 1982). Dependent variable for this research is social isolation. Social isolation for this research has been defined as the level to which the aged people are neglected, discriminated and poorly

treated by members of society. (Tunstall, 1966) defined the social isolation as cutoff yourself from society, family and relatives. Along with the family ties, many factors affect it. Old aged people have to face discrimination in their family for making decisions, to access goods and in communication. The high level of discrimination results in low health status. (Saeed, Shoaib, & Ilyas, 2011). During disasters, destruction of family caused elderly to be isolated. Lack of taking care, limited opportunities of earning, medical and food make them more vulnerable members of society. Lack of care, respect, and consultation results in serious social problems. We should develop an attitude, policies and programs that protect elderly rights and enable them to live independent lives after emergency. (HelpAge International). Participation in decision making about the matters of the family can also reduce the social isolation of the people. Different cultures and countries differ with respect to consulting the elderly while making decisions. a book was written about the behavior of young generation towards social change. Young people consider that they have get advanced education. They have become more independent so they make their decisions themselves about different aspects of life. They have become so sociable that they dont give proper time to the family and parents who ultimately creates conflicts between youth and old generation. (Furlog, 2007) literature shows the signigicant relationship between aging and isolation. the critical factors which lead to the isolation are networking type, social class and marital status. solution is to increase networking among aged people. to give more special care so they can share their experiences, emotions and views and feel that they are also the part of the lively world as well.

OPERATIONALISATION

Independent variable: Family ties:

Definition: It refers to the degree much members of the family freely discuss problems with each others. Discussion_Problems : Your family members discuss problems with each other Freedom_Discussion : You feel expression of freedom in discussion with your parents or grandparents. Family ties = Discussion_Problems+ Freedom_Discussion

Dependent variable: Social isolation:

Definition: It means whether an individual is flexible in accepting changes in society. Flexible_Change: Your parents/grandparents are flexible in accepting changes in society. Social isolation = Flexible_Change

Controlled variables:
1. Social network:
Definition: It refers to the friends circle of an individual and how often you visit your relative and go for a walk. Friends_Circle: Your parents/grandparents have large friends circle. Visits_Relatives: Your parents/grandparents often visit friend and family. Going_walk: How often do your parents/grandparents go for a walk? Social Network = Friends_Circle+ Visits_Relatives+ Going_walk

2. Family structure:
Definition: It refers to the family system in which an individual lives i .e. nuclear or joint Family_System: To which family system do you belong to? Family Structure= Family_System

3. Participative decision making:

Definition: It means whether individual takes advice from his elders while making decisions. Advice_Elders: You take advice from your parents/grandparents before taking decision. Participative decision making = Advice_Elders

4. Working hours:
Definition: It is defined as working hours of family members as whole and working hours of parents. Family_Working_Hours: On average, what is the working hours/day of your family members? Parents_Working_Hours: How many days do your parents work in a week? Working Hours = Family_Working_Hours+ Parents_Working_Hours

5. Sharing time:
Definition: It means how much time you spend with parents/grandparents and how often do you have a family get to gather. Family_Gathering: How often do you have family gathering? Time_Elders: How much time do you spend with your parents and grandparents? Sharing Time= Family_Gathering+ Time_Elders

6. Depression:
Definition: It is a state when you become rude due to health issues or other causes of depression family disputes etc. Health_Issues: Your parents/grandparents are suffering from heath diseases. Rude_Behaviour: Your parents/grandparents are often rude with you. Cause_Depression: You parents/grandparents feel depress because of? Depression = Health_Issues+ Rude_Behavior+ Causes_Depression

METHODOLOGY

Theoretical Population:
As our topic is Status of Aged People in view of Generation. So our theoretical population is the youth of Pakistan.

Actual population:
We have decided to target specifically the youth of universities. So our actual population is the university students of Lahore.

Sampling technique:
As there was no sampling frame to collect the subjects of the sample and we wanted that there should be equal representation of male and female in our chosen sample. So firstly, we have used quota sampling in which we have defined a quota on the basis of proportion of male and female in age limit of 15-24 according to census data by Pakistan Census Bureau. (See Appendix-II) After defining quotas, we have applied random sampling during administrating questionnaire.

Sampling size:
As each member of our group is responsible for 25 questionnaires and there are total 6 members. Hence our sampling size will be 25 * 6 = 150.

ANALYSIS

Sex_Respondents:
Table 1:Sex of Respondent
Male Female Total Frequency 76 74 150 Percent 50.7 49.3 100.0

Above table shows that the total sample was of 150 which includes 76 males and 74 females with a proportion of 50.7% and 49.3% respectively. For the graphical representation of the percentages of the male and female in the sample, you can see the Figure 1: Sex of Respondent in the Appendix-II

Age_Respondents:
Table 2: Age of Respondent
Frequency 33 115 2 150 Percent 22.0 76.7 1.3 100.0

Below 20 20-30 More than 30 Total

The age of the respondents were classified as below 20, 20-30, and more than 30. 33 people out of 150 were below the age of 20 that constitutes 22% of the total sample. 115 respondents belong to the age group of 20-30 which is 76.7% of the total sample of 150 as shown in the table above. Only 2 people were of the age above 30 which makes only a small portion i.e. 1.3% percent of total respondents. For the graphical representation of the age of the respondents, you can refer to the Figure 2: Age of Respondent in Appendix-II

Income_Level:
Table 3: Income Level
Frequency 4 14 54 78 150 Percent 2.7 9.3 36.0 52.0 100.0

Less than 3000 3000-10000 20000-30000 More than that Total

Table 3 shows the income level of the family. Respondents were asked to select from options of less than 3000, 3000-10000, 20000-30000, and last one is more than that. 4 out of 150 choose the option of less than 3000 which form a small portion of the sample i.e. only 2.7%. The most of respondents i.e. 78 out of 150 select the 4th option of more than that i.e. 30000 which constitutes the 52% of the total sample. Pie chart showing the proportion of respondents having different income levels is given in the Appendix-II as Figure 3: Income Level. Following table 4 shows the descriptive statistics of the dependent variable, independent variable and 3 controlled variables. These variables are Freedom_Expression, Flexible_Change, Friends_Circle, Advice_Elders and Family_Working_Hours respectively.

Table 4: Descriptive Statistics

1. You feel expression of freedom in discussion with your parents or grandparents. 2. Your parents/grandparents are flexible in accepting changes in society. 3. Your parents/grandparents have large friends circle. 4. You take advice from your parents/grandparents before taking decision. 5. On average, what is the working hours/day of your family members? N 150 Minimum 1 Maximum 4 Mean 2.07 Std. Deviation .860

150

2.60

.811

150

2.48

.981

150

1.86

.724

150

2.29

1.297

Family_Ties:
First row of Table 4 shows the descriptive statistics of variable Freedom_Discussion. 5 options were given as follows: 1= strongly agree, 2= Agree, 3= Neutral, 4= Disagree, 5= Strongly disagree. Mean value is 2.07 and standard deviation is .860. It shows that the average response lies between agree and neutral. Standard deviation tells us that the overall responses were between 1.21 and 2.93 i.e. between agree to nuetral and no one subject in the sample was strongly disagree to the statement You feel expression of freedom in discussion with your parents or grandparents.

Table 5-A: Family_Ties

Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Total Frequency 42 63 37 8 150 Percent 28.0 42.0 24.7 5.3 100.0 Valid Missing 150 0

Table 5-B: Family_Ties

Table 5-A and table 5-B shows the frequencies and statistics of the variable Family_Ties. Table 5-B indicates that all the respondents answered the question and there was no missing. Table 5-A shows that out of 150 subjects, 42 were strongly agree, 63 were agree, 37 were neutral and 8 were disagree to the statement about family ties i.e. You feel expression of freedom in discussion with your parents or grandparents. No one was strongly disagree to this statement.

Flexible_Change:
The descriptive statistics of the variable Flexible_Change are shown in second row of above Table 4. 5 options were given to respondents to choose from which are 1= strongly agree, 2= Agree, 3= Neutral, 4= Disagree, 5= strongly disagree. Mean is found to be 2.60 which means that average response lies between agree to neutral. The standard deviation is .811 which means that total responses deviate from the average response for only .811. Hence, overall response lies between 1.789 to 3.411 i.e. between agree to disagree. While no one was strongly disagree to elders acceptability of changes happening on society.

Table 6-A: Flexible_Change

Frequency 12 53 70 13 2 150 Percent 8.0 35.3 46.7 8.7 1.3 100.0 Missing 0

Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly Disagree Total

Table 6-B: Flexible-Change

Valid 150

Table 6-A and table 6-B shows the frequencies and statistics of the variable Flexible_Change. Table 6-B indicates that all the respondents answered the question and there was no missing. Table 6-A shows that out of 150 subjects, 12 were strongly agree, 53 were agree, 70 were neutral and 13 were disagree to the statement about Flexible_Change i.e. Your parents/grandparents are flexible in accepting changes in society.. Only 2 respondents were found to be strongly disagree to this statement.

Friends_Circle:
The descriptive statistics of the variable Friends_Circle are shown in above Table 4 on number 3. 5 options were given to respondents to choose from which are 1= strongly agree, 2= Agree, 3= Neutral, 4= Disagree, 5= strongly disagree. Mean is found to be 2.48 which means that average response lies between agree to neutral. The standard deviation is .981 which means that total responses deviate from the average response for only .980 so overall responses lie between 1.499 and 3.461 i.e. between agree to disagree.

Table 7-A: Friends Circle

Frequency 25 52 53 16 4 150 Percent 16.7 34.7 35.3 10.7 2.7 100.0

Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly Disagree Total

Table 7-B: Friends Circle

Valid Missing 150 0

Table 7-A and Table 7-B shows the frequencies and statistics of the variable Friends_Circle. Table 7-B indicates that all the respondents answered the question and there was no missing. Table 7-A shows that out of 150 subjects, 25 were strongly agree, 52 were agree, 53 were neutral and 16 were disagree to the statement about Friends_Circle i.e. Your parents/grandparents have large friends circle.. Only 4 respondents were found to be strongly disagree to this statement.

Advice_Elders:
In above Table 4, the descriptive statistics of the variable Advice_Elders are shown in row 4. 5 options were given to respondents to choose from which are 1= strongly agree, 2= Agree, 3= Neutral, 4= Disagree, 5= strongly disagree. Mean is found to be 1.86 which means that average response lies between strongly agree to agree. The standard deviation is .724 which means that total responses deviate from the average response for only .724 so overall responses lie between 1.136 and 2.584 i.e. between agree to neutral.

Table 8-A: Advice_Elders

Frequency 50 72 27 1 150 Percent 33.3 48.0 18.0 .7 100.0

Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Total

Table 8-B: Advice_Elders

Valid Missing 150 0

Table 8-A and Table 8-B shows the frequencies and statistics of the variable Advice_Elders. Table 8-B indicates that all the respondents answered the question and there was no missing. Table 8-A shows that out of 150 subjects, 50 were strongly agree, 72 were agree, 27 were neutral, only 1 was disagree and no respondents was strongly disagree to this statement about Advice_Elders i.e. You take advice from your parents/grandparents before taking decision.

Family_Working_Hours:
In above Table 4, the descriptive statistics of the variable Family_Working_Hours are shown at number 5. Four options were given to respondents to decide from which are 1= 8 hours daily, 2= 12 Hours Daily, 3= More than 12 Hours, 4=Flexible Working Hours. Mean is found to be 2.29 which means that average response lies between 12 hours daily and more than 12 hours. The standard deviation is 1.297 which means that total responses deviate from the average response upto 1.297 so overall responses lie between 0.993 and 3.587 i.e. between 8 hours daily and flexible working hours.

Table 9-A: Family_Working_Hours

Frequency 65 22 18 45 150 Percent 43.3 14.7 12.0 30.0 100.0

8 Hours Daily 12 Hours Daily More than 12 Hours Flexilbe Working Hours Total

Table 9-B: Family_Working_Hours

Valid Missing 150 0

Table 9-A and Table 9-B shows the frequencies and statistics of the variable Family_Working_Hours. Table 8-B indicates that all the respondents answered the question and there was no missing. Table 9-A shows that out of 150 subjects, 65 respondents said 8 hours daily, 22 subjects selected 12 hours daily, 18 were of the view that more tha12 hours, and flexible working hours were chosen by 42 respondents. Hence 43.3% respondents were in the favor of the option 8 hours daily and least number of the subjects were opt for more than 12 hours which makes up the 12% of total sample.