Age and Aging

1
Chapter 14

• Age and Aging

2
Chapter Outline

• The Social Significance of Aging
• A Society Grows Old
• Growing Up/Growing Old Aging and the Life Course
• Death and Dying
• Age, Diversity, and Inequality
• Explaining Age Stratification

3
Social Significance of Aging

• All societies practice age differentiation.
• Age stratification is the hierarchical ranking of
  different age groups in society.
• The age structure of the United States is rapidly
  changing, with a greater proportion of the
  population consisting of old people.

4
 Physical Process of Aging

• The effects of aging depend on biological,
  social, and environmental factors.
• Short-term memory becomes less accurate, but
  long-term memory becomes more accurate.
• Artistic abilities have been known to develop in
  later life.

5
Social Factors in the Aging Process Menopausal
Women

• Stereotyped as unable to control their emotions
  and prone to irritability and depression.
• Evidence supports that menopause is not related
  to serious depression and that the majority of
  women are happy about the loss of ovulation
  ability.
• Studies also find that a majority of menopausal
  women do not experience hot flashes and other
  physical symptoms associated with menopause.

6
Life Expectancy

• Probable number of years a particular group is
  likely to live, given statistical patterns.
• Based on the age at which half the people born in
  a particular year die.
• Shaped by social factors gender, race, and
  social class.

7
Age Stereotypes

• Both the elderly and youth are burdened by
  negative stereotypes.
• Studies find adults perceive teenagers as
  irresponsible,lazy, sloppy, etc.
• Studies find the elderly are perceived as senile,
  meddlesome, conservative, inactive, unproductive,
  lonely, and uninterested in sex.
• Older women are perceived as having lost their
  sexual appeal, contrary to older men who are
  dashing.

8
 Life Course Perspective

• Within each generation, life events shape the
  sociological experience of age groups
• Childhood
• Youth and adolescence
• Adulthood
• Old age

9
 Childhood

• The image of a childhood as carefree is not the
  reality for many children
• 1/4 of those living in shelters are children.
• 26 of children live in poverty.
• As many as 16 of girls under age 18 experience
  sexual abuse.

10
Youth and Adolescence

• Until the 20th century, children moved directly
  into adult roles, there was no adolescence.
• Establishing an identity is the central concern
  of this life stage.
• Special vocabularies and manners of speaking
  define independence from adults.

11
 Adulthood

• Carries more responsibility, rights and
  privileges than any other stage in the life
  cycle.
• The economic and social resources one has
  influences how one experiences each phase of
  adulthood, including mid-life.

12
 Retirement

• Maintaining social contacts from work and
  elsewhere eases the burdens of retirement.
• Taking on a job when retired creates social
  networks, which is linked to better health.
• Most pension systems discriminate against women
  who have on average lower lifetime earnings.

13
Old Age

• The majority of men and women remain sexually
  active well into their 70s and 80s.
• The majority of the elderly adjust well to
  changes.
• Only about 10 of the elderly become senile.
• One of the most difficult adjustments of old age
  is widowhood.

14
Theoretical Perspectives on Age Stratification

• Functionalism sees both youth and elderly as less
  useful or functional for society.
• Disengagement theory predicts that as people age,
  they withdraw from society and are relieved of
  responsibilities.

15
Theoretical Perspectives on Age Stratification

• Conflict theory sees ageism as eliminating youth
  and the elderly from competition over scarce
  resources.
• Symbolic interaction theory sees youth and the
  elderly as infantilized via cultural symbols,
  such as language and popular culture.