intro to age inequalities

Question 1

modern societies and age

Answer 1

• can be very stratified by age
• earlier societies not so much
• different age groups are assigned both different amounts of social status and different legal rights

Question 2

what is social stratification?

Answer 2

• the idea that people are divided into different hieracies where some are deemed more important and have more power than others.
• class, gender, ethnicity, age

Question 3

initiation rites

Answer 3

• these publicly signal the change from one social role to another. For example, in the UK, 18th and 21st birthdays are significant ages at which to have special social events as they mark the transition to adult status.

Question 4

initiation rites - laws

Answer 4

• laws in most western societies prohibit you from taking part in certain activities until you are a specific age - uk need to be 18 to vote, drink, etc.

Question 5

age and status

Answer 5

• becoming old or defined as old is associated with a significant loss of status in western societies.

Question 6

laslett 1991

Answer 6

• suggested it was better to see age in a three ages of life approach
• first age - period of socialisation
• second age - phase of work and childrearing
• third age - time of independence

Question 7

what is life course?

Answer 7

• can be described as going through several stages.
• life is a biological and cultural journey that each person goes through at any given time and space
• allows people to see where they are in relation to other people of similar and different ages.
• seen to be universal - happens in all societies.

Question 8

western culture and chronological

Answer 8

• persons age is counted in a chronological numerical way.
• begins from the year of birth up to the current point, and up until death.
• child, teenager, young adult, adult, older adult, elderly

Question 9

what is the seven ages?

Answer 9

• babies, childhood, teenage years, young adults, middle age, the retired, the eldelry

Question 10

whata re the three ages?

Answer 10

• pre work
• work
• post work

Question 11

what are the ONS specif age boundaries

Answer 11

• under 16, 16-63, 65-85, 85+

Question 12

what are the difficulties in stratification?

Answer 12

• difficult to put people in these defined groups.
• hard to tell someones age
• hard to say what age is in each group - are you children or youth?at what point do you go from youth to middle age?

Question 13

what is age distribution affected by?

Answer 13

• the birth rate and infant mortality
• patterns of immigration and emigration
• the longevity of life

Question 14

what is the dependency ratio?

Answer 14

• ratio of dependents - people younger than 15 or older than 64 - to the working age population - those aged 15-64
• more young people are staying on in education which means less people working from age 16 and so an increase in state benefits

Question 15

what is cultural relativism?

Answer 15

• this refers to the differences in values and beliefs in different cultures

Question 16

cultural relativism and age

Answer 16

• in some cultures, the transition from childhood to adulthood is based of rites of passage, rather than chronological age

Question 17

what was childhood like in the 19th century?

Answer 17

• many working-class children worked in factories, mines and mills.
• often worked long hours and in unsafe conditions - negative impact on their health.
• at home, children were often required to take on adult work, long domestic chores and caring for sick relatives.

Question 18

what is childhood like now?

Answer 18

• in 2013 was made a requirement for children to remain in education or work with training until 18
• gov spends almost 100 billion a year on education and employs around 500, 000 people in education
• children can only work full time if they are 16m and then they must do training with that employment.