Age, Power and Stratification Flashcards

Question

Ray et al. - study on labelling of older people - labelling theory

Answer 1

mental capability and well being of the elderly can be negatively affected by exposure to stereotypical labels and from experiences of ageism self-fulfilling prophecy may be the result of exposure to ageism, so people conform to ageist ideas the use of infantalised language causes older people to accept the inference that they are no longer independent adults the linguistic expression of pity, particularly from medical professionals, conveys the idea that older people are helpless

Answer 2

found that only 15% of adverts features elderly people, and more than 90% were positive presented elderly people as 'golden agers' enjoying healthy, active lifestyles demonstrates that not all groups are represented poorly in the media

Answer 3

older men more likely to be associated with high status and work older women are generally associated with the family and poverty

Answer 4

young people are often described in the media as being dangerous and in need of protection

Answer 5

older women experience inequality due to sexism and ageism ageing is a gendered process experiences differ between men and women women are more likely to live longer, but more likely to experience poverty and downward mobility in old age and experience more ill health

Answer 6

1/5 pensioners are living below the breadline single female pensioners are at higher risk of being in poverty than single male pensioners black and asian communities 2x more likely to be living in poverty in less than a decade the proportion of females in the UK living in poverty has increased by 6%

Answer 7

gender pay gap: 30-39 years: 4.4% 60+ - 14.4% demonstrates that the gender pay gap increases with age

Answer 8

older women are more likely than men to have a disability, long term physical health problem (e.g. dementia) and experience mental health conditions at age 65, women can expect half of their remaining years of life to be in poor health women aged 90+ can expect two thirds of their remaining years to be in poor health

Answer 9

argues that the west is obsessed with the aesthetics of youth, and womens ageing is seen in a negative way and lowers their status in other societies women's status traditionally increased as they aged, but this is not the case in western cultures as aesthetics are more valued

Answer 10

262 women over the age of 70 have been killed since 2009

Answer 11

older women have to try and retain their sexual attractiveness by remaining young in order to be treated as equal to men in older age critiques the 'beauty myth' by arguing that societal standards of beauty creates pressure on women to maintain youthful appearances

Answer 12

Pilcher (postmodernist) - differences between age groups are blurring today, older people behave in a manner once seen as the domain of the young, so perhaps feminist theories are outdated and things are improving age-based traditions and norms, forms and standards of behaviour which were previously strictly defined, are becoming less constricting and orderly

Answer 13

feminist explanations may not fully account for the diversity of experiences people can have, such as ethnicity and social class

Answer 14

they reject the generalised view of age categories, and emphasise the individuality of the elderly availability of choice in contemporary society means people no longer become judged simply by their chronological age, but by decisions surrounding their lifestyles and presentations of themselves to the outside world

Answer 15

traditionally, life was thought to progress through clear stages - childhood, adolescence, adulthood and old age stages were largely defined by biological or social markers e.g. education, work, marriage and retirement. these stages are becoming increasingly blurred, and the boundaries between them are less rigid e.g. extended working lives, waiting longer to marry and have children

Answer 16

dominant capitalist groups control wealth and power in society. they oppress and exploit the labour of workers, and one of the most important mechanisms for this is through the 'reserve army of labour'

Answer 17

consists of mainly the old and young people who may not usually work or have limited choices in terms of employment, and therefore willing to work for low wages and in insecure jobs the old and young may take on jobs in times of economic growth, but be the first to let go in times of economic downturn the young need to be socialised into a capitalist system successfully to ensure a docile workforce is maintained

Answer 18

welfare payments given to the young and old are used by capitalism to maintain false class consciousness the most vulnerable in these groups do not feel the full force of exploitation, and therefore prevents any kind of revolutionary action benefits from part of the ideological state apparatus

Answer 19

capitalism views the elderly as a burden on society older people lose status as they become identified as being a drain on the economy suggests that state pensions are inadequate and leave the elderly reliant on state welfare - unless they can afford private pensions reinforces their low status in society, as a group who are dependent on state handouts

Answer 20

connection between marxism's reserve army of labour and the dual labour market (where people find themselves in different sectors of work due to structural inequalities)

Answer 21

the middle age dominate the primary sector the secondary sector is disproportionately made up of the young and old