explaining age inequaltities

Question 1

functionalist - parsons 1977

Answer 1

organic analogy - certain age groups have values that threaten social stability
- youth is a time for growing up for adult roles
- the behaviour of youths is seen as dysfunctional, deviant
- elderly become less physically able to maintain roles

Question 2

functionalist - cummings and henry 1961 disengagement theory

Answer 2

• aging comes with deterioration of abilities, responsiblities and roles are relieved
• the gap must be folled to maintain social stability
• retirement age maintains this stability

Question 3

functionalist evaluation

Answer 3

• assumption of homogeneity
• ignoring negative experience of aging
• not all youth are guided by socialisation
• not all elderly abilities deteriorate

Question 4

feminism - arber and ginn 1999

Answer 4

age affects power and status

Question 5

feminism - itzin 1990 double standards

Answer 5

• mens status is related to employment while womens are related to reprodution
• older women therefore have lwoer ststaus regardless of wealth
• cosmeticisation: fighting visible aging

Question 6

feminism evaluation

Answer 6

• missing true cause of inequality
• females are not a homogenous group
• males go through cosmeticisation
• cosmeticisation is not a forced process

Question 7

weberian - class

Answer 7

those who share a market situation and life chances
- elderly do not have the required skills with technology
- upper class elderly continue to live a comfortable life

Question 8

weberian - parkin 1968 negatively privileged groups

Answer 8

ethnic minorities are segregated through racism and ageism
- they are kept out of high paid jobs
- elderly are socially segregated in the media through invisibility and bad connotations

Question 9

weberian - turner 1989 exchange theory

Answer 9

age discrimination is understood in terms of status
- elderly and youth have low status due to lack of material resources to attract status

Question 10

interactionism - labelling

Answer 10

negative labelling and stigmatisation of elderly and youth leads to self fulfilling prophecy
EG cohen - moral panics

Question 11

postmodernism - elderly

Answer 11

disparity of experience
highlighting advantages of aging

Question 12

postmodernism - youth

Answer 12

blame media of creation of folk devils
non homogeneous group

Question 13

postmodernism - old age is a positive time

Answer 13

laczko and phillipson 1991 - inequality is based on wealth
featherstone and hepworth 1993 - traditional explanations of age focus on imaginary boundaries of age
blaikie 1999 - fourth age filled with leisure based pursuits

Question 14

postmodernism - the mask of old age powell 2001

Answer 14

behind apperance of aging are the same thoughts as youth
- inequalities have more to do with labelling
- soe continually re create themselves

Question 15

postmodernism - globalisation

Answer 15

• britain is becoming more multicultural and age means different things
• gerontocracy bring the elderly high status