Readings in Sociology 1 SOCIOLOGY OF AGING 1

Readings in Sociology
READING 1- THE SOCIOLOGY OF AGING (Ageing)

Sociology of aging focuses primarily on the later years of life, it is grounded in an understanding
that aging of individuals is a lifelong process of growing up and growing older. Thus, to
understand how old age is experienced, one must look at the entire life course that preceded
reaching old age.
Sociology of Ageing
As we age, our lives change while changing the society too. In fact, society
organizes our lives in patterned ways that correspond to being a child, an
adolescent, an adult, and an older person. Ageing can be sociologically
defined as the combination of biological, psychological and social processes
that affect people, as they grow older. Gerontology is studying the aging and
the elderly in the population. It is derived from the Greek word geron,
meaning "old person.” Gerontologists work in many disciplines, including
medicine, psychology, and sociology. It investigate not only how people
change as they grow old but also the different ways in which societies
around the world define old age.
Growing old is a complex and gradual process having biological,
psychological and social dimensions, which not only do not fully correspond
with one another but also do not exactly coincide with one's chronological
age. It is, however, true that the chronological age is an index of the
growing and developmental process that goes on in the biological,
psychological and sociological dimensions, and, therefore, the chronological
definition of what constitutes old age is useful for purposes of study.
Growing old brings with it distinctive experiences and also significant
disadvantages, including lower income and sometimes the experience of
prejudice and discrimination, both in and beyond the workplace. For this
reason, like class, gender, and race, growing old is a dimension of social
stratification. A 1998 report by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA
1998) notes that the population of those aged 65 and older worldwide grew
by about 9 million in 1998.
By 2010, this population will grow by 14.5 million and by 2050 it will grow
by 21 million. The most rapid growth of the 65 and older group will take
place in the industrialized nations of the world, where families have fewer
children and people live longer than in poorer countries. In the industrialized
countries, the percentage of the older population grew from 8 per cent in
1950 to 14 percent in 1998, and it is projected to reach 25 per cent by
2050.
1|5 reading on the sociology of aging

The populations of most of the world's societies are ageing as the result of
a decline in both birth and death rates, although the populations of the
developing countries continue to have shorter life spans because of poverty,
malnutrition and disease. In nearly all high-income nations, the share of
elderly people is increasing rapidly. There are two reasons for this increase:
low birth rates and increasing longevity.
The world's average life expectancy grew from 46 in 1950 to 50 in 1985
and will reach 71 by 2025 (UNFPA1998). By that time, some 800 million
people will be over the age of 65, nearly a threefold increase in numbers
from 1990. This explosion has enormous implications for social policy. More
than 150 nations currently provide public assistance for people who are
elderly or disabled, or for their survivors when they die. Older people are
especially likely to require costly healthcare services. Their rapid growth in
numbers threatens to strain the medical systems in many industrial nations,
where the cost of providing healthcare to older people is likely to overwhelm
government budgets.
Aspects of Ageing
Although ageing is a process that presents new possibilities, it is also
accompanied by a set of unfamiliar challenges. As people age, they face a
combination of physical, emotional and material problems that can be
difficult to negotiate.
One challenge that marks a significant transition is retirement. For most
people, work does not just pay the bills; it also contributes to their sense of
personal identity.
In this case, retirement does not only lead to a loss of income; it can also
lead to a loss of status to which many people find it difficult to adjust.
Another significant transition that many older people face is the loss of a
spouse. Widowhood can represent the loss of a partner of 40 or 50 years,
and someone who has been the main source of companionship and support.
The older population reflects the diversity within societies. Older people
are rich, poor and in between; they belong to all ethnic groups; they live
alone and in families of various sorts; they vary in their political values and
preferences; and they are gay and lesbian as well as heterosexual.
Furthermore, like other people, they are diverse with respect to health.
These differences can influence the ability of older people to maintain their
autonomy and overall well being.
Theories of Ageing
There are different sociological theories studying ageing as a process and
its impact on the people and society as a whole.
Functionalism
The earliest theories of ageing reflected the functionalist approach that was
dominant in sociology during the 1950s and '60s. They emphasized how
individuals adjusted to changing social roles as they aged and how those
roles were useful to society.
The earliest theories often assumed that ageing brings with it physical and
psychological decline and that changing social roles have to take this decline
into account (Hendricks 1992).
The American sociologist Talcott Parsons argued that society need to find
roles for older people consistent with advanced age. He expressed concern
that the USA, in particular, with its emphasis on youth and its avoidance of
the subject of death, had failed to provide roles that adequately drew on the
potential wisdom and maturity of its older citizens.
Moreover, given the greying of society that was evident even at that time,
Parsons argued that this failure could well lead to older people becoming
discouraged and alienated from society.
Structural Functional Theory
Based on the ideas of Talcott Parsons, Elaine Cumming and William Henry
(1961) explain that the physical decline and death that accompany aging
can disrupt society. In response, society disengages the elderly, gradually
transferring statuses and roles from the old to the young so that tasks are
performed with minimal interruption. Disengagement theory is the idea that
society functions in an orderly way by removing people from positions of
responsibility as they reach old age.
Disengagement ensures the orderly operation of society by removing
aging people from productive roles before they are no longer able to perform
them. Another benefit of disengagement in a rapidly changing society is that
it makes room for young workers, who typically have the most up-to-date
skills and training. Disengagement provides benefits to aging people as well
as most people begin to think about retirement and perhaps cut back a bit
on their workload. Exactly when people begin to disengage from their
careers, of course, depends on their health, enjoyment of the job, and
financial situation.
Symbolic Interaction Theory
Based on the symbolic-interaction approach, activity theory is the idea
that a high level of activity increases personal satisfaction in old age.
Because everyone bases social identity on many roles, disengagement is
bound to reduce satisfaction and meaning in the lives of older people. What
seniors need is not to be pushed out of roles but to have many productive or
recreational options.

Activity theory does not reject the idea of job disengagement; it simply
says that people need to find new roles to replace those they leave behind.
Research confirms that elderly people who maintain a high activity level find
the most satisfaction in their lives. Activity theory also recognizes that the
elderly are diverse with a variety of interests, needs, and physical abilities.
For this reason, the activities that people choose and the pace at which they
pursue them are always an individual matter.
Social Conflict Theory
A social-conflict analysis is based on the idea that access to opportunities
and social resources differs for people in different age categories. For this
reason, age is a dimension of social stratification. The social-conflict
approach claims that our industrial-capitalist economy creates an age-based
hierarchy. As per Marxist thought, Steven Spitzer (1980) points out that a
profit-oriented society devalues any category of people that is less
productive.
To the extent that older people do not work, our society labels them as
mildly deviant. Social-conflict analysis also draws attention to various
dimensions of social inequality within the elderly population. Differences of
class, race, ethnicity, and gender divide older people as they do everyone
else.
Political Economy Theory
One of the most important strands in the study of ageing in recent years
has been the political economy perspective pioneered by Carroll Estes.
Political economy theory provides an account of the role of the state and
capitalism as contributing to systems of domination and marginalization of
older people.
Political economy theory focuses on the role of economic and political
systems in shaping and reproducing the prevailing power arrangements and
inequalities in society. Social policy in income, health or social security, for
example is understood as the result of social struggles, conflicts and the
dominant power relations of the time. Policy affecting older people reflects
the stratification of society by gender, race and class.
As such, the phenomena of ageing and old age are directly related to the
larger society in which they are situated and cannot be considered in
isolation from the other social forces (Estes and Minkler 1991; Estes et al.
2003).
References:

TEXTadoptedfrom https://www.sociologyguide.com/
Sociology of Aging Books

1. Social Inequality - M.Adil Khan
2. Giddens, Anthony. "Ageing." Sociology. 6th ed. Cambridge: Polity,
2009. 302. Print.
3. Macionis, John. "Social Inequality." Sociology. 14th ed. Pearson. 346.
Print.
QUESTIONS:
1. How is aging viewed by different theorists? State their claims and
explain it using your own words.
2. Which of the theories are more meaningful and essential to you? Why?
3. Explain “aging is a process”.

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Readings in Sociology

READING 1- THE SOCIOLOGY OF AGING (Ageing)

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Sociology of Aging Books

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