ageism Flashcards
define ageism
a bias against, discrimination towards, or bullying of individuals and groups on the basis of their age
what is a consequence of the ageing population?
ageism
how is age socially constructed?
Different cultures fix age with different meanings and different values. Eastern cultures tend to highly value age and wisdom, while Western cultures tend to highly value youth
what are stereotypes of the elderly?
vulnerable, weak, grumpy, at risk
how was modern society structured age?
fixed life course stages such as childhood, youth, adulthood, and the older generation. Age becomes important in role allocation and creating age-related identifies
why is age important?
it creates an identity i.e teenager
what is ageism a result of?
Ageism is the result of structured dependency – the old are excluded from paid work by the government and employers which forces them to be economically dependent on their families or the state.
• Old people are labelled as dependent and vulnerable
what did philipson find?
phillipson argues that the old are no use to capitalism as they are no longer productive. Due to this, the state are unwilling to support them.
what do postmodernists argue about old age in modern society?
Postmodern sociologist argue that in today’s postmodern society the fixed stages of the life course have broken down. People are doing things differently to how they did things in the past.
what are examples of ‘old’ celebrities who fight ageist stereotypes?
dolly parton - 77
tom jones- 83
Shigema Hirata- graduated college at 96
how has modern society changed the old stereotypes (pm)
Postmodernists argue that people now have a greater choice of lifestyle regardless of age!!
• Unlike in a modern society, consumption NOT production becomes the key to our identities.
what did Hunt (2005) find?
we now define ourselves by what we consume. This means we can choose our lifestyle and identity, age no longer determines who we are or how we live our lives.
what can the ‘old’ now consume?
The old become a market for a vast range of ‘body maintenance’ or ‘rejuvenation’ goods and services in order to ‘sell them’ new, younger identities.
i.e Kris Jenner, Simon Cowell
how do we break stereotypes in postmodernism?
Being able to consume plastic surgery, anti- ageing products, gym equipment etc. enables ageist stereotypes from modern society to break down – old people can do just what young people do!
• Anti-ageing products enable the old to rewrite their identities the way they want to be seen!
• Media images now portray positive aspects of the lifestyles of the elderly.
what are criticisms of the postmodernist view of ageism?
Pilcher (1995) – postmodernists underestimate the importance of social
• They also ignore that older people face discrimination that limits their choices. Age Concern (2004) found that more people reported suffering age discrimination than other forms of discrimination (29%).
