age matters: structure and culture

Question 1

age defintion

Answer 1

social category through which people define and identify individuals and groups within society

Question 2

sociologists accept physiological differences between persons of different ages…

Answer 2

but process of growing up/older is a social construct

Question 3

who researched population pyramids

Answer 3

Coleman and Salt

Question 4

1991 age structure Britain

Answer 4

beehive shape-narrow base and top wide middle
peek in mid 40s and late 20s
consequence of baby booms (end ww2 and 1960s)

Question 5

negative of beehive structure

Answer 5

places strain on resources e.g. schools and employment

Question 6

1971 age structure Britain

Answer 6

pyramid shape-wide base narrow top

low fertility rates=ageing population

Question 7

Johnson and Falkingham (1992) talk about pyramid shape and median ages

Answer 7

1901=24
1931=30.3
1981=34.7
evidence of ageing population

Question 8

factors affecting variations in age structure

Answer 8

geographical location, gender, ethnicity

Question 9

region and geographical location

Answer 9

• Northern Ireland-high birth rate (pyramid)-lack of contraception because Catholic
• coastal areas-more elderly as retirement dream
• south west-higher employment opportunities

Question 10

ethnicity

Answer 10

• ethnic minority population younger than majority white population
• reflection of 50/60s immigration
• 1/3 ethnic minoirty population under 16 (have high fertility rates), but only 3% aged 65+
• black caribbeans have older age structure than Bangladeshi and Pakistani

Question 11

Gender

Answer 11

• 52/48 split women
• greater life expectancy as go to doctors more, men’s accidental death rate higher
• Arber and Ginn ‘feminization of later life’

Question 12

physiological age defintion

Answer 12

human ageing involves physical transformations over time
universal aspect of human life largely beyond our control
e.g. children to adulthood
gain reproductive capacities but then lose them in later life

Question 13

life course definition

Answer 13

• socially defined timetable of behaviours deemed appropriate for that age
• societies group people together based on similar age and typical behaviour patterns expected of them
• divided into stages that can be used as an index to locate individuals likely position in the life course

Question 14

cohort defintion

Answer 14

• period of history which individuals live acts to shape the range of possibilities and experience
• individuals exposed to certain opportunities but excluded from others e.g. women’s vote