marxism

• Marx


  • reserve army of labour (developed by castles and kosack) is essential to capitalism, consisting of groups, such as the youth and elderly.
  • these groups serve as a secondary labour source, often used during economic booms for temporary roles
  • the rise of 0 hour contracts exemplifies this, where workers are employed only when needed, without benefits
  • unemployed youth and eldery individuals are more likely to accept these role
• marx


  reserve army of labour shows how the ruling class exploits young and old workers during economic booms

  youth are further marginalised by policies, such as withholding full income support until age 25.

  older people are scapegoated as economic burdens, due to their need for pensions and support
• gramsci - legitimation of authority

  •  His work on political society (rule through force) and civil society (rule though consent) can be applied to understanding the inequality faced by different age groups.
  • false consciousness - people do not realise their exploitation often through concessions that they recieve. small measures, e.g. child benefit and pensions act as a form of this. This creates a form of dependency, legitimating the need for the powers of authority
  • so elders & youth do not question their exploitation, accepting things such as 0 hour contracts
• Townsend and Philipson - political economy theory


  Political economy theory - these ideas focus on inequality as meeting the needs of the economy. They use these ideas to explain the inequality faced by the elderly

  Philipson - this places the elderly in a negative position as a burden on the economy.
• Townsend and Philipson


  • capitalism needs to renew its workforce regularly, relying on younger, more productive workers for greater profit
  • the elderly are institutionally marginalised to serve capitalisms needs, through institutionalised dependency
  • e.g. retirement forces the elderly to depend on society, whilst younger employees take their place
  • this dependency lowers the status of the elderly
  • inequality faced by the elderly benefits capitalism by ensuring a continuous supply of productive workers