Eduardo Enrique Vargas Calero

November 8th, 2023

Professor Eliud Briones
Integrated English VI

Outline Problem-Solution essay

Title: Not having kids: A future disgrace for the future elderly?

INTRODUCTION
Hook:
Did you know that the decreasing fertility rate in Europe (1.8 children per woman) can affect the future of the
current working force?
Background
Problem statement:
As it is well-known, the pension system relies on young people to be sustained.

This problem is important because it can affect European people to be forced to retire at the age of 70.

According to the Committee for the Abolition of Illegitimate Debt, the Macron Government in France is raising
the pension age to 62 years to 64.

Context
According to the same source, the pension system in Europe has that problem because less people are having children.
The demographic trends, particularly in these European countries, mean more people are reaching retirement age and
fewer people are at working age.
Cause and effect and people involved
The main cause of this problem is regarded to the capitalist system. Since more people are getting older, the
current insured need to pay more taxes to sustain the pensions.
The consequence of not solving this problem will be, as mentioned before, the raising of the retiring age.
Thesis statement
The best way to solve this huge problem is by re-designing the pension system so it does not rely on young
people to continue functioning.

Problem paragraph
The decreasing number of younger workers who contribute to the pension system threatens its long-term
sustainability. This decreasing natality harms the current insured. Why? Because they are the ones who pay the
pensions of the current pensioners, but since there has been a decrease on natality, there will be a decrease on
future workers. So, who will pay the nowadays working force their future pensions?

6. Solution paragraph: Proposed solution, evaluating solutions, implementation plan

Proposed Solutions: Re-design the pension so it does not rely on young people to continue functioning. This

re-design will help young people not to be scared of having to retire at the age of 65 or even 70. The mentioned

re-design will consist on creating a fund for paying the nowadays pensions, sponsored by the total budget of

each of these European Countries, making it auto-sustainable.

Evaluating Solutions: One of the advantages of the re-designing the pension system is that everyone will be

treated fairly when it comes to pensions. Everyone will have the same age of retiring, without any mental or

financial reservations. Another advantage is that it will become much clearer for the institutes that take care of

that money. One objection that it may have is its implementation.

Implementation Plan
To enforce this plan, we would need a European Union referendum on which people decide if they want to take
it or not. According to Cambridge Dictionary, a referendum is ‘a vote in which all the people in a country or an
area are asked to give their opinion about or decide an important political or social question’. When talking
about the celebration of a referendum, a strong issue needs to be considered. The strength of an issue is by the
level of importance it will have to union. So, European people need to make campaigns and also manifestations
to tell the government they want to have a re-design. It can also be stated as a national referendum, but it will
not have much impact that the European one would have.

7. Conclusion
Restatement of the thesis:
In conclusion, the most viable option to solve the sustainability of the pension system is the re-designment of it.

Reiterate the importance of addressing the problem and implementing your solution
It is important that the European society addresses this problem because it will be unfair that the nowadays
workforce has to retire until they are 65 or even 70 in some countries.
Closing thought or call to action
European people should help themselves by approving the referendum for the re-designment of the pension
system if they want to live a happy and calmed elderhood.