Explanations for age inequalities
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- Created on: 14-06-21 10:17
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- EXPLANATIONS OF AGE INEQUALITIES
- FUNCTIONALIST
- Parsons (1977)
- Social stability- these roles should be managed. Youth as a time of learning to behave
- Analogy of a bridge
- Elderly change roles to maintain social stability
- Eisenstadt- different age groups learn different roles
- Disengagement theory- Cummings and Henry (1961)
- A persons' abilities are likely to deteriorate therefore a mutual need to be relieved
- Ensures social stability
- Eval of func
- Not everyone deteriorates at the same rate
- Too optimistic- not all elderly are fulfilled by their new roles, and not all youth are guided successfully by socialisation
- Parsons (1977)
- FEMINIST
- Arber and Gin (1991)
- Age affects a woman's status and power
- Itzin (1990)
- Men's status is down to employment, whilst a woman's is down to her reproductive cycle
- Pressure to fight the signs of ageing
- This is capitalised by cosmetic industries
- Daly (1979)
- Similiarities to global practises eg FGM
- Eval of fem
- Differing life chances
- Blame patriarchy
- Arber and Gin (1991)
- WEBERIAN
- Weber- importance of market position- both elderly and young have low market status
- However upper classes have financial resources therefore status
- Parkin (1978) Negatively privileged status groups
- Ethnic minorities kept out of high status groups therefore suffer
- Elderly often segregated in media, employment living etc
- Ethnic minorities kept out of high status groups therefore suffer
- Turner- Exchange theory- Western societies stigmatise elderly and young- they do not have what it takes to achieve high status
- Reciprocity maturation (if groups are dependant they are least likely to have status
- Weber- importance of market position- both elderly and young have low market status
- INTERACTIONIST
- Havinghurst (1991) Activity theory- staying mentally and physically fit will increase happiness
- Statham (2011) grandparents providing childcare
- Negative labelling- self fulfilling prophecy
- MARXIST
- Youth are assets to capitalism- cheap labour
- Reserve army of labour
- Elderly are free childcare
- Phillipson (1982)- elderly used as a reserve army of labour
- Age inequality is a social construction used to benefit bourgeoisie
- Phillipson (1982)- elderly used as a reserve army of labour
- Gramsci- false consciousness
- Townsend and Phillipson (1982) political economy theory
- Elderly made to be seen as a burden on the economy- capitalism needs to renew with younger workers
- Therefore elderly are institutionally marginalised
- 'institutionalised dependency'
- Elderly made to be seen as a burden on the economy- capitalism needs to renew with younger workers
- Eval of Marxism
- Assumption of homogeneity
- 'grey pound' - asset to economy
- Youth are assets to capitalism- cheap labour
- FUNCTIONALIST
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