Sociology in Modules

Sociology in Modules Stratification by Age

Stratification by Age 12 • Module 36: Aging and Society • Module 37: Aging Worldwide • Module 38: Age Stratification in the United States

A Look Ahead • How do people’s roles change as they age? • What are the social implications of the growing number of elderly in the U.S.? • How does ageism affect an older person’s employment opportunities?

Module 36 Aging and Society • Age stratification varies from culture to culture • All societies have some system of age stratification that associates certain social roles with distinct periods in life • “Being old” is master status that commonly overshadows all others in U.S. “Old” designation has major impact on how others perceive individuals and how they view themselves

Module 36 Aging and Society • Properties of minority or subordinate groups apply to older people in U.S. • Experience unequal employment treatment • Share physical characteristics • Membership is involuntary • Strong sense of group solidarity • Generally married to others of comparable age

Module 36 Sociological Perspectives on Aging • No clear cut definitions for different periods of the aging cycle in U.S. • Old age typically regarded to begin at 65 • Increase in life expectancy led writers to refer to people in their 60s as the “young old” Gerontology: scientific study of sociological and psychological aspects of aging and problems of the aged

Module 36 Functionalist Approach • Disengagement theory: society and aging individuals mutually sever many of their relationships • Approach of death forces people to drop most social roles • Gerontologists and sociologists more likely to see the elderly in terms of social connectedness, postretirement employments, and volunteerism

Module 36 Interactionist Approach • Activity theory: elderly persons who remain active and socially involved will be best-adjusted • Social interaction can lower death rates among elderly • Old people have same need for social interaction as any other group • Aging citizens feel satisfied only when useful and productive

Module 36 Labeling Theory • Elderly victimized by social structure • Society reconsidering what makes a person old • Some suggest threshold of old age should begin in last 10 or 15 years of a person’s expected life • Labeling of old age differs from one culture to the next

Module 36 The Conflict Approach • Elderly victimized by social structure • Social roles relatively unchanged but devalued • Treatment of older people in U.S. reflects many divisions in society Transition from agricultural economies to industrialization and capitalism not always beneficial to elderly

Module 36 Table 36-1: Sociological Perspectives on Aging

Module 37 Aging Worldwide • More than 545 million people age 65 or older • Europe’s population is older than others • Japanese enjoy life expectancy of 82 years • In most developing countries, people over 60 in poorer health

Module 37 Role Transitions throughout the Life Course • Socialization is lifelong process • Life course varies dramatically depending on personal preferences and circumstances • Midlife crises: period of stressful self-evaluation typically beginning around age 40

The Sandwich Generation The Sandwich Generation: adults who simultaneously try to meet the competing needs of their parents and of their own children Role of caring for aging parents falls disproportionately on women Last major transition occurs after age 60 Causes dramatic changes in people’s everyday lives Module 37

Module 37 Adjusting to Retirement • Rite of passage • Marks critical transition from one phase of a person’s life to another (Atchley, 1976) • Preretirement • Near phase • Honeymoon phase • Disenchantment phase • Reorientation phase • Stability phase • Termination phase

Module 37 Adjusting to Retirement • Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities (NORCs) • Many older Americans congregate in areas that gradually became informal centers for senior citizens Residents of these communities threatened by gentrifications

Module 37 Death and Dying • Kubler-Ross research encouraged open discussion of the process of dying • Five stages of dying has been challenged • Functionalists see those who are dying as fulfilling distinct social functions • Hospice care: seek to improve dying person’s last days by helping him or her to stay at home or in a homelike setting • Studies in U.S. suggest people are breaking through historic taboos about death

Figure 37-1: World’s “Oldest” Countries versus the United States, 2006 Module 37

Figure 37-2: Expected Retirement Age Module 37

Module 38 The “Graying of America” • In the future, an increasing proportion of U.S. population will be composed of older people • At the same time, the “oldest old” will grow at a faster rate • Women outnumber men by a ration of 3 to 2 • Elderly more likely to be white Highest proportions of older people in FL, PA, RI, IA, WV, and AR

Module 38 Wealth and Income • Typical older person has higher standard of living than in nation’s past • Greater accumulation of wealth in form of home ownership, private pensions, and financial assets • Groups more likely to be poor at earlier points in the life cycle—female-headed households and racial and ethnic minorities—more likely to be poor in old age

Module 38 Ageism • Ageism: prejudice and discrimination based on a person’s age • For many, old age symbolizes disease • Older people barely visible on television • People who have positive perceptions of aging live an average of 7.5 years longer

Module 38 Competition in the Labor Force • Older workers face discrimination in the labor force • Federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) went into effect in 1986 • Courts made significant decisions in favor of older workers

Module 38 The Elderly: Emergence of a Collective Consciousness • Awareness of the social power of elderly growing • AARP third largest volunteer organization in the U.S. • Formation of organizations for elderly homosexuals Elderly in U.S. better off today than before, but they constitute diverse group

Module 38 Research Today • Elderspeak and Other Signs of Ageism • Have you ever worked alongside an older person? If so, did that person’s age affect the way he/she did the job? • Are the elderly the only people who experience ageism? What signs of ageism might those who are not old experience?

Figure 38-1: Actual and Projected Growth of the Elderly Population of the United States, 1980-2050 Module 38

Figure 38-2: Minority Population Age 65 and Older, Projected Module 38

Figure 38-3: Twenty-Eight Floridas by 2030 Module 38

Module 38 The Right to Die Worldwide • Understanding the Issue • Physician-assisted suicide one aspect of larger debate in U.S. • Euthanasia: act of bringing about death of a hopelessly ill and suffering person • Public opinion on euthanasia divided

Module 38 The Right to Die Worldwide • Understanding the Issue • Many societies practiced senilicide: killing the old because of extreme difficulties in providing basic necessities • Public policy in U.S. does not permit active euthanasia • Greater tolerance for passive euthanasia

Module 38 The Right to Die Worldwide • Applying Sociology • Informal norms seem to permit mercy killings • American Hospital Association estimates as many as 70% of all deaths in the U.S. quietly negotiated • Conflict theorists ask questions about the values raised by such decisions • People who died with a doctor’s help more likely to be socially, economically, and educationally privileged

Module 38 The Right to Die Worldwide • Initiating Policy • In the industrialized world, euthanasia is legal and widely accepted in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Switzerland • In U.S., Oregon and Washington allows assisted suicide • Medical and technological advances allow us to prolong life • Cannot provide answers to complex ethical, legal, and political questions

Sociology in Modules