Middle Age

Question 1

What is one way family may create and reinforce middle age identity?

Answer 1

Responsibilities and expectations

Question 2

What did Brannen find?

Answer 2

• suggested for many people, middle age is a time when they shoulder many caring responsibilities
• called middle age generation a pivot generation
• dual burden

Question 3

Define pivot generation

Answer 3

Refers to the idea that Middle Ages people carry responsibility of caring for their children and their parents so they swing between the two

Question 4

Define dual burden

Answer 4

Refers to the idea that caring for both children and parents is a double responsibility suffered by the middle aged population

Question 5

What is a way media reinforces middle age identity?

Answer 5

Targeting them through advertising as they are the group with highest disposable income

Question 6

What did Saunders find?

Answer 6

• conspicuous consumption
• media target middle age as they have highest disposable income
• middle age often define themselves by what they own

Question 7

What is conspicuous consumption?

Answer 7

Spending on goods and services acquired mainly for the purpose of displaying income or wealth, status symbols etc. targeted in adverts

Question 8

What is another way media may reinforce middle age identity?

Answer 8

Portraying middle age people in a stereotyped way

Question 9

What is one way peer groups may create and reinforce middle aged identity?

Answer 9

Association groups with specific shared norms and values eg. Subcultures

Question 10

What did Hodkinson find?

Answer 10

• majority of goths middle class so importance of education is emphasised
• goths are more willing to adapt their look for work

Question 11

What is one way the workplace may create and reinforce middle age identity?

Answer 11

Dominant source of identity

Question 12

What did Willis find?

Answer 12

• many of the lads went on to do manual labour jobs
• for both boys and their fathers, jobs were key source of identity
• defined themselves as manual workers and membership to occupation was the key defining feature of middle aged identity

Question 13

What did Mac an Ghail find?

Answer 13

• once they’d been made redundant from their steel works jobs, men in his study felt loss of identity from their tight knit communities associated with their job
• loss of role as breadwinner led them feeling loss of status and identity