age Flashcards
Laslett (1991)
saw age in 3 stages:
1 - a period of socialisation
2 - a phase of work and childrearing
3 - a time of independence
Milne et al (1999)
- the idea of one homogeneous group for the elderly is incorrect
- there’s those who have retired and those over 80
Pilcher
- argued for the ‘young old’ between 65 to 74
- ’ middle aged old’ between 75 and 84
- ‘old old’ as 85+
Johnson and Bytheway (1993)
defined ageism as the offensive exercise of power through reference to age, institutionally, through organisational and legal practices or based n stereotypical prejudice
discrimination through retirement legislation
- pension age used to be 65 for men and younger for women
- it should be an individuals choice, not society
- people aren’t in the position financially to retire
crisis of elderly overpopulation
- by 2021 33% of the UK population will be over 55
- issues such as dependency and healthcare
- more people needing social services and housing
child poverty
- 3.5million children in poverty in the UK
- this figure is constantly rising
elderly poverty
- 16% of pensioners in the UK live in poverty
- fuel poverty being a big issue where people have to choose between food and heat
- since 2013 an extra 300,000 pensioners are living in poverty
Gentleman (2009)
- studied a care home in Ipswich
- even with good care and a safe environment its an unpleasant experience
- families never visit and it’s seen as a place where elderly people are left to die
digital generation gap
- the digital divide causes problems for employment as older people are less comfortable with technology
- they feel like strangers in their own land as they don’t get along with the youth or understand them as they’re not on social media
2019 Ageist Britain report
- 34% of Brits admit they have discriminated against someones age
- 68% of over 50’s say ageism is apparent in everyday life
- 1 in 3 have experience ageism at work
elderly and isolation
- loneliness is experienced the most by the elderly
- lack of income and physical mobility limits them
- basic care in their homes can sometimes breach human rights
elderly and health
- COVID 19 as an example, no PPE, deaths in care homes as not being admitted to hospital
- older people denied surgery due to age and not ability
- dementia affects 700,000 older people
media representation of the elderly
- negative portrayal of older people
- seen as grumpy, a burden and drain of resources
- due to longevity of life and greater dependency ratio
government policies for the elderly
- triple lock guarantee so state pension is uprated by which is higher, earnings, prices or 2.5%
- key areas of support like free eye tests and prescriptions
- cold weather payments have been increased
age
chronological divisons in years
biological age
physical state of the body
life course stratification
birth, puberty, adulthood, old age, death
seven ages
babies, childhood, teenage years, young adults, middle age, the retired, the elderly
stratification
- dividing society into layers
- compare the layers to see how lifestyle and behaviour differs
- social mobility is moving between layers
young people
ages 16-25/30
youngism
- aren’t given the same rights as adults (e.g. political)
- lower pay for the same jobs
- schools give no practical advice for adulthood
- will have to face some of the biggest issues we face today
youth culture
- time of stress and change
- period between childhood and adulthood
- key changes in the 19th century to protect the youth
- extension on schooling and not forced labour
age inequality towards youth
- face many legal restrictions
- COVID 19 is an example as they’re losing education
- not shown as a priority in society as can go to pub but not school
- more likely to lose their jobs
Jilted Generation - Howker and Malik
- if you were born after 1979 had to deal with tuition fees for uni
- huge amounts of debt after the EMA was abolished
- retirement age has gone up so have to work longer
boomerang generation
adults aged 20-34 living back with their parents have massively increased
moral panic
- Cohen (1970) created this term
- based on false ideas of youths behaviour being deviant to society
- fuelled by media coverage of social issues
Jack Fawbert
found that hoodies were turned into a symbol of fear of working class youth, even to the extent of shopping centres banning them due to the connotations around them
deviancy amplification
Leslie Wilkins (1964) described agencies like the police and media generating an increase as they emphasise minor problems which glamourise it
youth and mental health
- so much pressure on children nowadays
- number of girls admitted to hospital for self harm as doubled in the last 20 years
- mental health services are in desperate need of funding
childhood
ages 0 to 13/16
innocence and childhood
- before the 19th century childhood were just small adults
- 20th century media created this idea around children
- education also encouraged it
childhood and poverty
- 4.2 million children live in poverty in the UK
- removing the 2 children limit and benefit cap would massively help
- 44% of children living in lone parent families are in poverty
7 stereotypes of children in media
- crime victims
- cute
- little devils
- brilliant
- brave little angels
- acessories
- modern
Heintz - Knowles (2002)
children in the media are portrayed as motivated by peer groups, sport and romance and aren’t shown facing societal issues
pester power
children in TV adverts are shown in ways to socialise them to become active consumers which leads to pests power and creates anxiety for poorer parents
Good Children Report 2019
children happiness levels have slumped to the lowest in a decade
Action for Children survey
studied 5000 people and found they believed childhoods were getting worse and bullying was the main problem
Action for Children survey stats
- 9/10 of children were worried about adult issues
- local children services funding was cut by 1/3 between 2010 and 2017
ESRC (2017)
found that 25% of girls and 9% of boys were depressed by the age of 14
UNICEF
found the UK at the lowest for child well being, due to family changes, having working parents and the high cost of childcare
mid life crisis
- social clock is ticking
- unfulfilled goals or no satisfaction
- alterations to family structure or career
Weberian’s on middle age
it has a beneficial position compared to other age groups in regards to class, status and power
Neomarxists on middle age
Bordieu - more likely to posses all types of capital, economic, cultural and social
Postmodernists on middle age
Featherstone and Hepworth - more choice over middle age identity and new technology like surgery stops ageing process
middle age
- people in 40’s to 50’s
- report the lowest levels of happiness
- highest levels of anxiety
