Marxist View on Age Inequality

Question 1

According to Marxists what to the young provide

Answer 1

A cheap pool of flexible labour that can he hired and fired as necessary. They tend to not have dependants so are willing to work for low wages.

Question 2

What does Phillipson suggest

Answer 2

That the logic of capitalism, which is about exploiting workers and consumers for profit, is incompatible with the needs of the elderly.

The elderly, despite their greater needs, are neglected by the capitalist system because they no longer have the disposable income or spending power which is so attractive to capitalists

Question 3

What does Phillipson claim

Answer 3

That the elderly have historically been used as a reserve army of labour. He suggested that this role has grown in recent years as the retail sector has expanded and taken on elderly labour

Question 4

How are some old people’s relationships with capitalism beneficial

Answer 4

Those old people from an upper middle class background, have more power and status because their earning power during their working lives was created and they were able to accumulate wealth.

Question 5

What are Marxists often accused of

Answer 5

Economic determinism and for being overly focused on social class. And tend to ignore other factors like ethnicity and gender.