Aging & Society Midterm (Weeks 1-5) PDF

Aging & Society Midterm (Weeks 1-5; Chapters1-5) Week 1 Aging as a Social Process (Sept 11) Intro: Population Aging - On average, the world is getting older - Older adults (people over 65) are healthier and more active than ever before - Older adults expect to live for MANY years aft...

Aging & Society Midterm (Weeks 1-5; Chapters1-5) Week 1 Aging as a Social Process (Sept 11) Intro: Population Aging - On average, the world is getting older - Older adults (people over 65) are healthier and more active than ever before - Older adults expect to live for MANY years after retirement - As we age, the ways we interact with social institutions change: - Family life/make-up - Health care access and usage - Labour force participation - Economy & financial institutions - Education systems & schooling Population aging: adding life to years - People are living LONGER and are HEALTHIER than in previous decades - LIFE EXPECTANCY has increased substantially - Number of average years a person is projected to live at birth - BUT OUR LIFESPAN (fixed maximum age for a species) stays estimated at approx. 120 years Why are our populations getting older? 1. DECREASE IN MORTALITY RATES a. Ratio of the number of deaths in a year to the average total population in that year b. Humans are preventing deaths (sanitation, public health, medicine, etc.) c. Our LIFE EXPECTANCY is higher than ever d. Canadian LIFE EXPECTANCY in 2020 = 80 years i. Variation across gender, location, education, etc. 2. DECREASE IN FERTILITY RATES e. Number of births per woman throughout the 'normal' childbearing years (14-49) f. Canadians are having fewer children than ever before g. There are fewer babies, so older adults (from the baby boom) are making up a bigger segment of the population h. Canadian fertility rates are below replacement rate BUT newcomers (immigrants) are still growing, so the Canadian population is NOT DECREASING Life Course Perspective - Interplay between individual (agency) and societal factors (social structures) over the course of someone's life - Life course theory/perspective: a framework for understanding age-related transitions that begin with birth, school years, and move along to adulthood, work, retirement, and death Four aspects of our individual aging 1. Chronological Aging a. Passage of calendar time from one birthday to the next b. Legal age c. Social order and control d. Difference between functional age and chronological age (some people are FUNCTIONALLY older than they are) 2. Biological Aging e. Changes in cellular, muscular/skeletal, neural, cardiovascular, sensory systems f. These changes influence: i. The number of years a person is likely to survive ii. The extent to which he or she is likely to experience illness or a disability 3. Psychological Aging g. Changes in learning, ability, memory, creativity h. Interaction of cognitive and behavioural changes with social and environmental factors i. Cultural differences 4. Social Aging j. Changes in social roles and relationships k. Rights and responsibilities assigned on the basis of age or age group and by attitudes toward specific age groups defined by society \*Chronological, biological, psychological, and social aspects of aging interact Aging as a social process (sept 11) Culture and historical contexts also shape how we age - Age and status of older people are linked to the period of history and culture in which they live - In some cultures, and historical periods, old age is a sign of high status; in others it's a sign of decline and lack of productivity - The value of older adults in society is socially and culturally constructed and changes overtime Stereotypes about aging - Aging-related stereotypes and misconceptions - Stereotypes: exaggerations of particular attributes of a group of individuals - Stereotypes contribute to discrimination and prejudice - Stereotypes reproduced in interactions and media (TV, film, ads, etc.) Ageism - Ageism: process of systematic stereotyping of and discrimination against people they are old - Socially constructed - Expressed and reproduced in media - Individual vs Institutional ageism - Ageist stereotypes (they can't drive, they smell, they are not sexual, etc.) Gerontology - Gerontology: a multidisciplinary study of aging and issues related to later life - The scientific (biological, behavioural, social) study of aging processes - Goes hand in hand with geriatrics (memdicine) Life course theory (again) - Social theory that allows gerontologists to study aging - Ask questions about individuals and aging or about cohorts of people (those born around the same time period) - Urges us to think about: life histories and pathways; agency and social strcuture' micro/macro analyses Life course histories and pathways - The experiences in early life have the potential to affect the experiences later in our lives - Individual life pathways are influenced by: SES; gender; ethnicity' religion; race; immigration status; sexuality, etc. - Life experiences are shaped by a push and pull between agency and social structure Micro and Macro Analyses - Life course theory helps us ask questions about individuals OR whole groups/cohorts/institutions What do older adults view as important issues 1. To be recognized as active and engaged citizens 2. To have the right to age in the place of their choosing 3. To be viewed as an asset to their community NOT A CHALLENGE