Age Stratification in Society: Inequalities, Well-Being, and Social Movements
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Chapter 14 Inequalities of Youth and Age
Chapter Outline • Sources of Age Stratification • Age Stratification and Inequality • Theories of Aging • Death and Dying
Sources of Age Stratification • In many societies age determines the opportunities open to a person. • All societies channel people into age grades, or sets of statuses and roles based on age. • The transitions among these age grades create a life course and are often marked by ceremonies known as rites of passage.
Age Cohorts • Age cohort - people of about the same age who are passing through life’s stages together. • The “baby boom” cohorts, produced from about 1945 through the early 1960s, have profoundly influenced American society. • A sizable proportion of the children of the baby boom generation, the “echo baby boom,” are members of minority groups.
Life Expectancy • Life expectancy - the average number of years a member of a given population can expect to live beyond his or her present age. • As life expectancy in a population increases, the proportion of the population that is dependent on the adult cohorts increases.
Age And Dependency • People between the ages of 18 and 64 contribute disproportionately to the well-being of the young and the elderly. • Institutions such as public education and Social Security ensure that a share of wealth passes to the dependent cohorts. • When there are large numbers of children in a society, or increasing numbers of elderly people, working adults shoulder an increased burden.
Social Movements and the Elderly • Social movements among the elderly are increasing in strength as the older population grows in numbers. • Older Americans have taken an active interest in recent efforts to reform the nation’s health care system.
Age Stratification and Inequality • There are distinct patterns of stratification in which age defines the roles one plays and the rewards one can expect. • Inequalities of age are compounded by those of race and gender to produce particular forms of inequality among the aged in industrial societies.
Elderly and Children • Given the opportunity, elderly men and women can have a profound influence on the lives of children in their families and neighborhoods.
The Challenge of Youth • Today teenagers and young adults spend far more time in school preparing for a more demanding labor market. • Adolescence often lasts well into the young-adult years. • During those years young people have increased freedom to try different identities and associate with different kinds of peer groups.
Youth • Although he lost his skateboard in this jump, this young athlete went on to win in his event class. • Skateboarding is part of a youth subculture that attracts young boys and may lead to their participation in extreme forms of the sport as they develop their skills.
Childhood • Social definitions of childhood differ between modern and traditional societies. • Increasing incomes and the passage of child labor laws made children economically “worthless” and emotionally “priceless.” • There is a growing gap between “priceless” children and children who bear a heavy burden of poverty.
Intended and Unintended Pregnancies and Abortions among Teenagers in Selected Western Nations
Age and Inequality • A century ago, the largest segment of the U.S. population living in poverty or near-poverty conditions was the elderly. • As a result of programs such as Social Security and Medicare, rates of poverty among the elderly have decreased dramatically. • The situation is not nearly so positive for elderly members of minority groups.
Robert Frost • Robert Frost, shown here in his advanced years, was far more than a poet of rural America. • He promoted the idea that people need to remain passionate participants in the world around them throughout their lives.
Theories of Aging • Disengagement Theory • As people grow older, they gradually “disengage” from their earlier roles. • Activity theory • The elderly need activities that will serve as outlets for their creativity and energy. • Today gerontologists see people demanding opportunities to lead their lives based on individual habits and preferences.
Death and Dying • The growing proportion of elderly people in the population has led to increased concern about the death and dying process. • The hospice movement attempts to provide dying people and their loved ones with an alternative to hospital death.
1. A "population pyramid" provides a graphic depiction of the • age distribution of a population by sex. • dynamic nature of population change over time. • relationship between population and resources. • correlation between fertility rates and death rates.
Answer: a • A "population pyramid" provides a graphic depiction of the age distribution of a population by sex.
2. Which is true about children today? • Children in our society continue to work long hours for little pay. • There is no universally accepted definition about how children should be treated. • Children in our society are largely viewed as valuable according to the economic payoff that parents anticipate from them. • Children have it far easier than earlier generations because the pathways to success are so uncluttered by economic difficulties.
Answer: b • The following statement is true about children today: • There is no universally accepted definition about how children should be treated.
3. Which is false concerning conceptions of childhood? • "Adolescence" as an age stratum was largely created with industrialism. • Children in modern societies are no longer treated as "little adults." • Children within the U.S. are not held by the law in most respects to the same standards of behavior as are adults. • Everywhere in the world it is expected that children are largely relieved from the task of making a living for themselves and others.
Answer: d • The following is false concerning conceptions of childhood: • Everywhere in the world it is expected that children are largely relieved from the task of making a living for themselves and others.
4. Which statement is false concerning hospices or the hospice movement? • Dissatisfaction with "hospital death" has given rise to a growing hospice movement. • Hospice can be administered either in clinical settings or in the homes of the terminally ill. • One key downside to hospices is their far greater patient costs when compared to conventional hospitals. • It attempts to enhance the comfort of dying patients through medication, while not trying to postpone the inevitable.
Answer: c • The following is false concerning hospices or the hospice movement: • One key downside to hospices is their far greater patient costs when compared to conventional hospitals.
