Theories on Age Inequality Flashcards
Abrams (functionalism)
Youth have lower status, it is a time of ‘experimenting’
What did Eisenstadt believe (Functionalism)?
Children have less status as they lack skills and knowledge
What did Cumming believe (Functionalism)?
Inequality against the old benefits society - ‘social disengagement’ allows the youth to take over
What did Parsons think?
The old need to make room for the young to enable latency
What does Hockey say? (Evaluation)
Theories that are overly deterministic ignore the diversity of experiences of age and negatively label old age
What did Midgely find? (Marxism)
Young people in rural areas lack opportunity = more likely to become NEETs
They are part of the reserve army of labour - eg 2/3 McDonalds workers are under 20
What did Phillipson suggest? (Marxism)
The elderly are of little value to capitalism, as such they have low status (shown for example in advertising)
What did Milne find?
2 types of elderly workers - some have power to choose whether to work or not, others are forced
(Marxism link)
What did Kidd believe (Neo-Marxism)?
Media stereotypes depict the elderly as a drain on resources, which justifies this exploitation in the workforce
What is an evaluation of Marxism?
Their argument is tautological (circular)
What are two Weberian theories on age inequality?
Ray - stereotypes of the elderly help create the ‘silver ceiling’
Barron and Norris - dual labour market
What did Boycott say is ageist for women? (Fem)
Advertising - uses youth to sell products
What did Sontag identify in the media? (Fem)
A double standard leading to a ‘silver ceiling’ for female presenters
What did Henretta and Grundy identify? (Fem)
A ‘sandwich generation’ of women who are carers for both the elderly and their children
What did S Lees find? (Fem)
Girls in school face a double standard
