Feminist Theory Of Age Inequality

Question 1

What are the four explanations of age inequality?

Answer 1

1. Women face double standards
2. Gender differences within the structure of the family dads to inequalities for women as they age
3. Older women become excluded from media representation as they age
4. Expectations that women care for children is restricting

Question 2

Who said women face double standards?

Answer 2

• Itzin

Question 3

What did Itzin say?

Answer 3

• women face a double standard comparatively to men
• men’s status is directly related to employment whereas women’s status is linked to their reproductive cycle, meaning in patriarchal society, women’s status devalues after childbearing age
• older women feel immense pressure to fight the signs of ageing- this process is known as cosmeticisation whereby women are encouraged to improve their appearance
• ageing men do not necessarily face the same pressures and the media industry sells a more glamorised version of male ageing than female ageing

Question 4

Who said gender differences within the structure of the family leads to inequalities for women as they age?

Answer 4

• Brannen

Question 5

What did Brannen say?

Answer 5

• middle aged women are part of the pivot generation where they face dual burdens to care for ageing parents but also face the challenge of supporting their children
• traditionally this role falls on women who may drop or pause their careers

Question 6

Who said older women become excluded from media representation as they age?

Answer 6

• Sontag

Question 7

What did Sontag say?

Answer 7

• women face double standard of ageing under pressure to stay young and youthful
• roles of older women are also replaced when they are deemed too old to fulfill their roles
• within advertisements targeted towards women, they are often related to beauty and cosmetics

Question 8

Who said expectation that women care for children is restricting?

Answer 8

• Oakley

Question 9

What did Oakley say?

Answer 9

• comparison of women and children conveys a picture of mutual dependence and interdependence and mutual oppression
• women and children are interlinked and interdependent, the inequality they face and suffer are similar
• women are often responsible for caring for children and this restricts them
• identifies five ways that children face inequality: adults speak for children- child’s voice is not heard, childhood issues are ignored in sociology unlike gender, children lack the same rights as adults, children have to conform to the demands of adults and society is adult centred