additional readings Flashcards
critical gerontologists have raised concerns that _________ demography can serve an ideological purpose to justify the erosion of publicly funded services in aging countries, particularly health care systems and pension systems
apocalyptic demography
how was ageism originally defined by Butler in 1969?
“systematic stereotyping of and discrimination against people because they are old, just as racism and sexism accomplish this with skin colour and gender”
not only what you think, but what you do
what is a less harmful stereotype example?
saying “how cute!” to an old couple holding hands sitting on a park bench
“cute” = a paternalistic characterization that suggests powerlessness in the other
in a 2009 Canadian Association of Retired Persons survey, what % of older individuals experiences ageism?
62% experiences some form of ageism
35% being demeaned by others
32% received poor service
29% were laughed at or joked about because of their age
in 2012, ageism in Canada was experienced by what percentage of older adults?
63% of those 66+ had been treated unfairly or differently because of their age
what is institutionalized ageism?
a tendency to structure society based on an assumption that everyone is young, thereby failing to respond appropriately to the real needs of older persons
what is internalized ageism?
when older persons begin to accept negative views of aging as part of their own self-concept
what is stigmatization?
a process wherein age-related cultural beliefs label older persons as a separate category of persons, resulting in differential treatment (discrimination), loss of status, and “spoiled” identities
younger people make up what percentage of age discrimination against older adults?
56%
what is a dominant social psychological theory for why ageism persists in Canada?
negative age stereotypes are learned through socialization–especially in childhood, but across the life course–and how this shapes our beliefs and behaviour towards older adults
what is filial piety?
a virtue that emphasizes respect and care for one’s elders, especially parents and ancestors
much of the misunderstanding about ageism in other cultures and in the past is in part due to our tendency to conflate what with what?
conflate “caring for” with “caring about”
what is positive ageism?
an overemphasis on positive images of aging, which can inadvertently devalue and actually stigmatize older persons who cannot meet this ideal
what does the modernization theory suggest?
suggests that declines in the status of older persons–and increases in ageism–are connected to various processes associated with societal industrialization
this reflects a structural–functionalist approach in sociology
what is the post-industrial society (or postmodern society)?
characterized by the loosening of traditional social and cultural (and age-related) norms along with expanding choices available for individuals across their life course, whether in family relationships and child-bearing, leisure and lifestyle, occupational and retirement trajectories, and so on.
what does the Ontario Human Rights Commission suggest needs to be done to fully address ageism?
“the age diversity that exists in society should be reflected in design stages for policies, programs, services, facilities and so forth so that physical, attitudinal and systemic barriers are not created”
what does the concept of intergenerational relations focus on?
focus more narrowly on interactions and exchanges between age groups, and attitudes towards each other, either within families or at a larger scale
more _____–level research is needed that explores the intersection between ageism, power structures, and the complex dynamics of intergenerational relations between age cohorts in Canadian society
macro-level
