age inequality-theory

Question 1

what do prout and james say about age inequality?(interpretivist/interactionist

Question 2

what do carrigan and szmigan say about age inequalities?(interpretivist/interactionist)

Answer 2

negative labelling and stigmatation of both the elderly and the young by the media and other agents of social control. elderly are depicted in caractures such as them being ‘smelly and incontinet’. e.g catherine tates ‘nan’ character

Question 3

what does cohen say about age inequality?(interpretivist/interactionist)

Answer 3

work on moral panics would be relevant for explaining the inequality that young people face in the media. youths seen as deviant and criminal widespread can lead to self fulfilling prophecy

Question 4

what does landis say about age inequality?(interpretivist/interactionist)

Answer 4

sterotypes for the elderly e.g. grumpy old man, fiesty old women, depressed or lonely

Question 5

what does griffin say about age inequality?

Answer 5

youths portrayed in the media in 3 ways:deviant, dysfunctional and suffering a deficit

Question 6

what do hockey and james say about age inequality?(interpretivist/interactionist)

Answer 6

argues that the meaning of old is linked to the meaning of childhood. say old age is infantalised. children and elderly have marginalised status. wrote growing up and growing old

Question 7

what does weber say about age inequalities?(weberian)

Answer 7

belived that to understand someones social position you need to look at parts of social life:class, status and party.
-class:possesion of goods and oppertunities to earn incomes(market situation-based on occupation)
-status-status groups are communities held together by common sense of social honour. creates ‘them and us’ links to occupation and status symbols
-party- the ability to make changes/the power someone holds in society- often but not always linked to economic position. refers to organisations/legislation/charities

Question 8

what does parkins say about age inequalities?(weberian)

Answer 8

used the concept of ‘negativley privilidged status groups’ to describe the poition of ethnic minorities in society. However young and old can also be seen as being being kept out of privilidged status groups bhy social segregation. the elderly are often socially segregated in the media through invisibility from positive portrayal; in employment through retirement and even in living arrangements, often living in care homes.

Question 9

what do barron and norris say about age inequalities?(weberian)

Answer 9

the dual labour market theory. the primary labour market is a market that genrally consists of high-wage paying jobs, social security and longer lasting careers. the secondary labour market consists of high turnover, low pay and usually part time of temporary work. sometimes secondary jobs are done by highschool or college students

Question 10

what do arber and ginn say about age inequality?(feminist)

Answer 10

wrote that when looking at women and inequality, factors such as age will affect their power and status. older women face inequality men do not

Question 11

what does itzin say about age inequality?(feminist)

Answer 11

claimed that women face a double standard. mens statu sis directly related to employment, whereas womens status is linked to their reproductive cycle. due to this older women feel immense pressure to fight the signs of aging

Question 12

what does gannon say about age inequalities?(feminist)

Answer 12

looks at androcentric myths to do with aging and argues that the differences in aging processes are more to do with lifestyles and expectations placed on women rather than biology. puberty and pregnancy tend to be viewed as positive and healthy by society; whereas the menstural cycle and menopause are portrayed as unhealthy and in need of alteration

Question 13

what does oakley say about age inequalities?(feminist)

Answer 13

claims that a comparison of women and children ‘conveys a picture of mutual dependancy and interdepndance and mutual oppression’. 5 ways that children face inequality meaning they are more disadvantaged position than women:
-adults speak for children- childs voice not heard
-childhood issues are ignored in sociolgy unlike gender
-children lack the same rights as adults
-children have to conform to the demands of adults
-society is ‘adult centred’

Question 14

what does parsons say about middle age inequalities?(functionalism)

Answer 14

suggests the masculine and feminine roles serve a function to society and are natural and desirable and not an inequality. they suggest that males and females are socialised into taking on different roles which reflect their natural characteristics.
-instrumental role- men as breadwinner and provider
-expressive role- the caring role that women take on, looking after home and children

Question 15

what does parsons say about old age inequality?(functionalism)

Answer 15

elderly have less status in society, once their children grow up they lose their most important role in the family, and are no longer working. also refers to disengagement theory, the time where elderly people disengage with their previous roles and ‘harvest the fruits of their labour’ and enjoy recreational activities

Question 16

what do cumming and henry say about age inequality?(functionalism)

Answer 16

suggests that the way society treats old has poitive benefits for society. they are encouraged to abandon their occupational roles within the specialised divison of labour. the process of ‘social disengagement’ allows the younger population to take their place in the labour market with minimum disruption

Question 17

what does eisenstadt say about age inequalities?(functionalism)

Answer 17

youths do face an element of inequality. being part of a youth culture provides a forum for the frustrations of this period and process e.g. face inequality due to juggling, work, home, friends, relationships, social pressures but functionalists say this in necessary

Question 18

what does gramsci say about age inequality?(marxist/neo-marxist)

Answer 18

discusses the importance of how the bourigouisie maintain authority fakse consiousness explains that people do not realise their exploiation often through concessions that they recive. such as child benefit and pensions this creates a form of dependancy, legitimating the need for powers of authority. thus the elderly and the youth do not question their exploitation through the labour market

Question 19

what does bond et al say about age inequalities?(marxist/neo-marxsist)

Answer 19

discusses the ‘political economy of old age’ they use this phrase to illustrate the relationship between the labour market,government policy and social class. they claim that those from lower social classes are more likely to suffer poverty in old age

Question 20

what does vincent say about age inequality?(marxist/neo-marxist)

Answer 20

age is a potential source of conflict,exploitation and discrimination. links age inequality to capitalism and argues that it is the needs of the economy that create age inequality. sees state pensions as creating disadvantage because they are too low, especially for women because they are less likely to have worked full time

Question 21

what does phillipson say about age inequality?(marxist/neo-marxist)

Answer 21

argues that capitalism needs to continually renew its workforce which may be more productive. to serve the needs of capitalism, this means having a system where the elderly are instutionally marginalised. this happens through institutionalised dependancy

Question 22

what does jones say about age inequality?(marxist/neo-marxist)

Answer 22

grandparents are the new reserve army of labour

Question 23

what does pholemus say about age inequalities?(postmodern)

Answer 23

focus on youth being a non-homogenous group shopping at the ‘supermarket of style’. therefore there is no full postmodernist explanation for youth inequality offered

Question 24

what do lackzo and phillipson say about age inequality?(postmodern)

Answer 24

researched early retirement and found that the inequality faced by some elderly people was due to wealth and not aging itself

Question 25

what do featherstone and heapworth say about age inequality?(postmodern)

Answer 25

argue that the life course has begun to be deconstructed-they claim two processes have taken place:
-de-differentation- the process by which the differences between different stages of the life course have become less clear
-de-institutionalisation- the process which by the insitutions of society become less closely associated with maintaining different phases of the life course

Question 26

what does blakie say about age inequality?(postmodern)

Answer 26

elderly are now seen as a distinctive ‘consumer group’. the retired are now an important consumer group who are targeted with a range of products and services.e.g. cruises, skincare/anti aging products

Question 27

what do clarke and warren say about age inequality?(postmodern)

Answer 27

suggest that old age may be a time to make new friends and engage in new interests. inclusion into such activities may define their identity in a new way. active aging is when this period of life provides new oppurtunities and can be seen as an active and engaged stage of life