Age inequalities

Created by: Emma Cornhill
Created on: 05-01-16 11:16

View mindmap

Inequalities (AGE)
- European law made Age Discrimination Illegal...
  - ...however
    - MORI (2002)
      - 38% have experienced age discrimination at work
    - Vincent (2006)
      - Life expectancy favours women
        but women are affected by more material disadvantage
        continued into old age
- Functionalism
  - Changes to legislation and attitudes are inevitable as part of modernisation
    - laws restricting employment of children and the elderly...
      - ...help society to modernise
    - universal pension provision...
      - ...help society to modernise
  - Henry (1961)
    - old age means disengagement from society
      - marginalise the elderly to make room for the young
      - must be gradual so the elderly can adapt
  - Parsons (1954)
    - age is vital in acquiring social roles
      - teenage= transitioning
      - old age= isolation, loneliness and dependancy
  - Eisenstaedt (1956)
    - Differential age groups enable people to learn and acquire new social roles, helping them contribute to society cohesion and solidarity
  - criticisms
    - Functionalist studies are done by middle- class, US males.
      - lack generalisability
    - The role of the elderly results from social construction, and social structure
      - not disengagement
    - Neglects issues of class, gender, ethnicity
- Marxism
  - Age restrictions on work were created to manage the supply of labour
    - The problem of the growing number of elderly is a problem of the distributions of wealth in a capitalist society
  - The problem of the growing number of elderly is a problem of the distributions of wealth in a capitalist society
  - Townsend
    - Capitalists feel they need to constantly renew the workforce
      - the young are considered to be more productive and a source of profit
        This results in the elderly being denied access to social resources and status
  - Kidd
  - Phillipson
    - Ideology of capitalism
      - exploiting the workers and consumers for profit is incompatible with the elderly
  - reserve army of labour
    - young and the elderly are easily hired and fired
      - "boom and Bust economy"
  - Criticisms
    - It does not provide cultural and social arguments for age inequality.
  - Benefits and welfares systems for the young and old create dependencies which legitimize the positions of the powerful
- postmodernism
  - Everingham 2003
    - peoples life courses are increasingly individualised, with few comman themes.
  - Featherstone & Hepworth: 1999
    - age is increasingly fragmented and diverse as a social category
Townsend
- Capitalists feel they need to constantly renew the workforce
  - the young are considered to be more productive and a source of profit
    - This results in the elderly being denied access to social resources and status
the elderly are seen as undesirable because their dependency on welfare and health services are a “drain of the economy”.
- Kidd
- in the capitalist societies' thae elderly have little or no status because they have little economic power
old age and retirement trigger a loss of cultural and economic status due to their weak work and market situations.
- this can also be applied to the young
- McKingsley, 2001)
  - weberism
    - the lower status of the young and old affect their market situation
    - age inequality is based on status
    - Inequalities (AGE)
      - European law made Age Discrimination Illegal...
        ...however
        MORI (2002)
        38% have experienced age discrimination at work
        
        Vincent (2006)
        Life expectancy favours women
        but women are affected by more material disadvantage
        continued into old age
      - Functionalism
        Changes to legislation and attitudes are inevitable as part of modernisation
        laws restricting employment of children and the elderly...
        
        universal pension provision...
        
        Henry (1961)
        old age means disengagement from society
        marginalise the elderly to make room for the young
        
        must be gradual so the elderly can adapt
        
        Parsons (1954)
        age is vital in acquiring social roles
        teenage= transitioning
        
        old age= isolation, loneliness and dependancy
        
        Eisenstaedt (1956)
        Differential age groups enable people to learn and acquire new social roles, helping them contribute to society cohesion and solidarity
        
        criticisms
        Functionalist studies are done by middle- class, US males.
        lack generalisability
        
        The role of the elderly results from social construction, and social structure
        not disengagement
        
        Neglects issues of class, gender, ethnicity
      - Marxism
        Age restrictions on work were created to manage the supply of labour
        
        Phillipson
        Ideology of capitalism
        exploiting the workers and consumers for profit is incompatible with the elderly
        
        reserve army of labour
        young and the elderly are easily hired and fired
        "boom and Bust economy"
        
        Criticisms
        It does not provide cultural and social arguments for age inequality.
        
        Benefits and welfares systems for the young and old create dependencies which legitimize the positions of the powerful
      - postmodernism
        Everingham 2003
        peoples life courses are increasingly individualised, with few comman themes.
        
        Featherstone & Hepworth: 1999
        age is increasingly fragmented and diverse as a social category
Feminism
- women and children are linked together in mutual patricharchial oppression
- women are more likely to be in poverty in old age than men
- women are more likely to be discriminated against as they age

Get Revising

Age inequalities

Comments

Similar Sociology resources:

Comments

Related discussions on The Student Room

Similar Sociology resources: