Marxist explanations of age inequality
- Created by: MelMel
- Created on: 21-10-19 17:55
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- Marxist explanations of age inequality
- Reserve army of labour (Castles and Kosack)
- Young and old people are used to fill in the gaps on the job market during boom times
- State benefits (e.g. full levels of income support) are withheld until young people reach 25
- Powerful law makers in society see youth as less equal
- Gig economy employs mainly 16-30 year olds; insecure work
- Criticisms
- Postmodernists (Featherstone and Hepworth)- plenty of older people now enjoy status (e.g. Nelson Mandela) and are casting off the mask of the old
- The lines between different age groups are starting to blur
- Postmodernists (Featherstone and Hepworth)- plenty of older people now enjoy status (e.g. Nelson Mandela) and are casting off the mask of the old
- Scapegoating (Castles and Kosack)
- Frustration and aggression in society leads to people picking on vulnerable groups
- The youth and the elderly are used as scapegoats
- Older people are blamed for welfare provision, NHS bed shortages, being too needy and being a drain on society
- It is actually the bourgeoisie taking this as surplus value
- Older people are blamed for welfare provision, NHS bed shortages, being too needy and being a drain on society
- This protects those in power from direct criticism
- Ageism helps justify low pay and poor working conditions as youth and elderly are seen as second class workers
- Criticisms
- Marxists-cannot prove that ageism as a product of the bourgeoisie
- Functionalists- the burden of older people reflects on the value consensus (we agree that they are a burden)
- Gannon (Feminists)- older women are doubly disadvantaged because they suffer more inequality due decline in their reproductive abilities and their labouring abilities
- Capitalist exploitation (Marx)
- Unless inherited, young people have yet to accumulate any power in the labour market
- Usually work low paid jobs with zero hours contracts where they are exploited
- By controlling the superstructure, the bourgeoisie lead us into false class conciousness
- Young people are portrayed as less worthy, thus a minimum wage is justifiable and accepted (hegemony)
- Criticisms
- Weber- Marxists ignore the fundamental differences between workers based on power and market situation
- Functionalists- young people deserve lower wages due to lack of skills and experience (meritocracy and role allocation)
- Unless inherited, young people have yet to accumulate any power in the labour market
- Cultural capital (Bourdieu)
- A particular age group may have the dominant culture, thus disadvantaging other age groups
- Older people are more likely to be in positions of power due to cultural knowledge which may be dominant
- When trying to impress an employer, it is more valuable to align oneself with their cultural values rather than being valued for your own culture
- Youth culture may be less valuable in many workplaces
- Criticisms
- Berry- digital divide has disadvantaged older people
- They lack skills and physical ailments in order to be able to engage in the digital world
- They have reduced opportunities of developing their social, cultural and economic capital
- They lack skills and physical ailments in order to be able to engage in the digital world
- Berry- digital divide has disadvantaged older people
- Reserve army of labour (Castles and Kosack)
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