Age

• Which Sociologists argue that Childhood identities have not changed and are still significant parts of identity?

  1. Pilcher (different statuses)
  2. Opie (different culture)
  3. Gittens (age patriarchy)
• Pilcher argued that children had different what compared to adults?


  status
• Opie suggested that children had a separate what from adults?


  Culture
• Gittens found a what within families?


  an " age patriarchy "
• What does the term Gittens use " age patriarchy " mean?

  "age patriarchy" refers to a system where older individuals (parents) hold power and authority over younger generations (their children)
• What are the examples Opie talks about that are the distinct cultures children have?


  1. kids clothing (products)
  2. toys (products)
  3. kids menus (services)
  4. playgrounds (services)
• What is one example Pilcher talks about that shows the differences between the status of children and adults in society?


  laws which forbid children from doing certain things like drinking and smoking
• Which sociologists argue that youth is not changing and is a significant part of young people's identities?

  1. Willis (young people are ordinary)
  2. Munice (media shows young people as folk devils)
  3. Devlin (young people have issues or are ones)
  4. Shain (peer pressure and distinct youth identities)
• What did Willis find about young people?


  that they all shared the same youth culture and that they were all ordinary
• Who looked into how the media represents young people as deviant?

  Munice
• Devlin found that 85% of the news presented the youth as being an issue or having an issue
• Shain suggested that peers in groups had distinict identities (showing significance)
• Shain found that peer groups would peer pressure young people to behave in certain ways
• Which sociologists argued that middle aged identities hadn't changed a were significant parts of their identities?

  1. Victor (different norms and values)
  2. Johnson ("institutional ageism")
  3. Itzin (middle aged women have specific beauty standards)
• What specific norms and values did Victor find that middle aged people had?


  wanting to own their own houses and going on holidays
• Johnson found that middle aged people were losing their status in the workplace he called this what?


  "institutional ageism"
• Which sociologists believed elderly identities had remained the same and were significant parts of people's identities?

  1. Victor (loneliness, poor health and dependency)
  2. Boyle (digital divide)
  3. Dowd ("strangers in their own land")
  4. Mckingsley (loss of status)
• How does the media reinforce the idea that middle aged women should look young according to Itzin?


  anti wrinkle creams aimed for women and botox
• Victor said that being elderly came with what norms?


  being lonely, having poor health and being dependent (learnt helplessness)
• What is an example of Victor's argument that being old is a time of loneliness poor health and being dependent?


  • being sent to a care home - poor health + dependency
  • losing more loved ones - loneliness
• Boyle claimed that elderly people were in a digital divide from other generations
• What does the term "strangers in their own land" which Dowd uses mean?


  Elder people are isolated from the rest of society because they are not online
• What does retirement mean for old people according to Mckingsley?


  a loss of status
• Which sociologists found that childhood was no longer significant and had changed?

  • Featherstone & Hepworth (age is no longer a chronological concept)
  • Postman (media gives "access to the adult world")
• Why did Featherstone & Hepworth believe that age was no longer a chronological concept?


  because of industrialisation and the rise of globalisation
• What does the term "chronological concept" that Featherstone & Hepworth use mean?


  the term means that there are now many different identities in each age group meaning age is now a meaningless concept
• Featherstone & Hepworth believe that because age is becoming a meaningless concept children are behaving more like adults
• How are children behaving more like adults according to Featherstone & Hepworth?


  • The products they consume (skin care)
  • Sexualised identities (wanting to wear high heels)
  • Fashion - conscious (wearing nike shoes)
• Postman found that the media grants children access to the adult world
• Postman believes childhood is disappearing because of the media
• Polhemus believes that youth is a time "where anything goes" as people have supermarkets of styles meaning that there is not one youth identity
• Polehmus is a postmodernist meaning he believes young people pick and mix their identities
• Polhemus found that young people do what?


  • join subcultures
  • pick and mix their identities
  • express their selves in varied ways
• Which sociologists argued that youth was not significant parts of peoples identities and had not changed?

  1. Polhemus ("anything goes")
  2. Clarke (youth is extending)
• Clarke found that young peoples role was to be rebellious and resisting
• Clarke found that youth was extending as dependency was continuing into twenties because people weren't able to leave home and weren't working
• Because of the changing roles of women middle aged identities have changed since women may not have children and/or may be focusing on their careers instead
• The middle aged experience is diverse as people may not have children and may be at different points in their careers because of different social classes
• Which sociologists found that old age identities were no longer significant and were changing?

  1. Mckingsley (different stages in old age)
  2. Clarke and Warren (active ageing)
  3. Blaikie (grey pound)
• Mckingsley found that because the over 85s were such a big group there were different stages of old age