age inequality Flashcards
Talcott Parsons (1967)
certain age groups norms and values could threaten the organic analogy and flow of society
e.g. young people being rebellious
Einsenstadt (1956)
youth is when individuals learn their adult roles and responsibility which is essential for the flow of society
functionalists on youth
- young people behave in a way not suited for society
- deviant activities teach them how to behave properly through agents of social control
- they become more integrated into society by learning these rules
disengagement theory
Cummings and Henry (1961)
- new roles should be created for the elderly who can no longer work
- this stops a gap in society and allows other people to fulfil their roles
Gramsci (1971)
- false consciousness means people don’t realise their exploitation
- rewards like free child care and pensions creates a form of dependency so people need the authority
reserve army of labour
- young people are used as they provide cheap labour due to minimum wage
- the elderly can be called out of retirement to work
Itzin (1990)
women face a double standard as their status decreases after a child bearing age, whereas mens status is linked to employment and not age
functionalism on stratification
- it’s a functional feature of all societies
- it’s based on meritocracy and achieved status
- social inequality is good as it matches the right people to the right jobs
- people must accept their positions as fair and just
marxists on stratfication
- the capitalist class the most control
- the wealth of this class buys them power and influence
- there’s class polarisation between the poor and rich
disadvantage of functionalism
- ignores dysfunctions of stratification
- assumes society is a homogenous entity
- whats beneficial for society may not benefit age groups
advantages of functionalism
- sees society as a whole
- takes a structural view
- offers explanation of why age division occurs
Oakley
- there are similarities between women’s and children’s positions in society
- but women have earnt more rights than children have like voting or paid work
Gannon
- women in retirement lack pensions due to childcare responsibilities
- middle aged women have to deal with the triple shift
- women’s status is based on their reproductive cycle
advantages of feminism
- addresses the question of gender and age
- introduces patriarchy as a causal explanation
- uses concepts from other theories
disadvantages of feminism
- reductionist as assumes patriarchy is the cause of all inequality
- doesn’t take into account the success of some female age groups (women in education)
- downplays the growth of inequality
weber on age
- affected by class, status and power
- youth and elderly lose out on all 3
- life chances are lower for youth and elderly
advantages of weberianism
- more sophisticated analysis
- introduces new concepts
- combines structural and action views
- recognises conflict
disadvantage of weberianism
- complexity makes it hard to find main causes
- marxists would say class is underplayed
- feminists say gender isn’t considered enough
class
people who share the same economic interests
status
the amount of social honour and respect you have in society
power
the ability to get what you want and control events
dual labour market
Barron and Norris
- the economy is divided into 2 sectors
- primary labour market with good paid jobs and opportunities
- secondary labour market with low paid part time jobs
new right on age
- longevity of life increases the dependency ratio
- old people are reliant on the state which creates issues for everyone
- longer time in childhood creates new problems and costs
advantages of new right
- structural theory
- focuses on a new causal explanation (the state)
- developed new concepts (dependency culture)
disadvantages of new right
- blames the victims
- lack of empirical support
- it’s more political than sociological
