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8 - Sociological perspectives on ageing

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 June 2012

By
Kate Davidson
Edited by
Ian Stuart-Hamilton
Kate Davidson
Affiliation:
University of Surrey
Ian Stuart-Hamilton
Affiliation:
University of Glamorgan
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Summary

OVERVIEW

This chapter examines the sociology from several perspectives: basic concepts of ageing, a brief history of social gerontology, the interaction between gender and ageing, sexuality and ageing, and ethnicity and ageing.

Introduction

As has been discussed in other chapters of this volume, the ageing experience involves the intersection of biological, psychological and social processes. This chapter examines in more detail the last of these phenomena; that is, ageing from a sociological perspective. First, I will outline the development of social gerontology since the middle of the twentieth century. Examples will be taken from several countries but principally the UK, and unless otherwise stated, reference to the UK is intended. Then I will discuss how these early theoretical concepts were widened to accommodate greater diversity among the heterogeneous ageing populations including gender, sexuality and ethnicity. Finally, I will discuss some challenges for the future and how they might enhance our understanding of growing old in the twenty-first century.

Ageing is a sociologically interesting phenomenon because although it is a virtually universal experience – almost all of us will get old before we die – it occurs within very diverse and complex social and power dynamic contexts, including socio-economic grouping, health status, access to financial resources, gender, ethnicity and geographical location. It is paradoxical that, on the one hand, we congratulate ourselves that in our society more people live longer than at any other time in history, but on the other hand, old people are demonized for the caring and/or financial burden they impose on their family, the community and the state.

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An Introduction to Gerontology , pp. 226 - 250
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2011

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