Age and disability

• Stages of the life cycle 


  • Childhood
  • Adolescence
  • Young Adulthood
  • Middle age
  • Old age
  • Death
• Characteristics of life cycle


  • Childhood - Naive, reckless, playful, language acquisition
  • Adolescence - Work, rebellion, independence, responsibility
  • Young Adulthood - Fun, pressure, career development, freedom
  • Middle age - Caring, family, sense of mortality
  • Old age - Nostalgia, reminiscence, wisdom, vulnerability
• Some sociologists argue that age differences are socially constructed rather than just biological differences
• Some sociologists such as Green believe that’s a life cycle is no longer the norm and it's better to think in terms of a life course, which shows a less predictable passage through life
• Traditional societies


  People often do not have a precise age because births aren't registered
• Stages of age identity in traditional societies


  • Children - Dependent on elders for protection and survival
  • Adults - Learn to become warriors, instructed on sexual matters to become adults and parents
  • Elders - Acquire greater status and power as they get older
• Modern Western societies


  The state ensures all births are registered
• Bradley identified 5 generational life stages in modern Western societies


  • Childhood - Regarded as a special, innocent time. Protected by parents, supported by the state
  • Adolescence - Period between puberty and adulthood (teenagers). Recognised as a unique group since the 1950s
  • Young Adulthood - Period between leaving home and middle age
  • Middle age - Disagreement on when it begins, often 35-50 or 65+
  • Old age - Officially begins at 65, can be differentiated into 'young old', 'middle old', and 'old old'
• Johnson and Bytheway define Ageism is the offensive exercise of power through reference to age
• There is evidence that old age is a stage in the life course that is largely negatively perceived
• Pilcher notes that old people are often described in derogatory or condescending ways, which can marginalise and label them as inferior
• Arber and Ginn suggest that ageism is reinforced by institutional practices, such as age barriers in finding new jobs
• Employment equality (age) regulations came into force in late 2006, providing protection against age discrimination in employment
• Ageism is often reflected through mass media representations of youth and old age
• Advertising reinforces the view that the appearance of youth is central to looking good, and ageing should be restricted
• Sontag suggests there is a double standard of ageing in TV, with underrepresentation of middle-aged and elderly women as news presenters
• Marsh and Keating observe that different cultures attach different cultural meanings and values to different age groups, which shape our beliefs and how we respond to others
• Medical model of disability


  Best notes that traditionally disability is seen in terms of a person's inability to fully participate in various activities that the rest of us take for granted. Disabled people are assumed to be dependent on the able-bodied and cannot function without constant help.

  Overall, disabled people were labelled by the medical model as inferior
• Social model of disability


  Disability is less about biological disability and more about how society disables people. Society excludes physically impaired people from full participation.

  Create by disabled people themselves

  Oliver argues that the disabled are excluded from full participation in society by stereotypical attitudes
• Many in the UK population are impaired in some way but rarely classified as 'disabled'
• The negative social reaction to disability is often based on the view that the disabled are dependent and constantly in need of help
• Capitalism's emphasis on work as a source of identity, status and power has contributed to negative cultural attitudes towards the disabled
• Watson argued that the perception of disabled people as dependent can have a negative effect on how they perceive themselves and their abilities, leading to learned helplessness
• Longmore suggest that disabled people tend to be represented in the mass media as evil, inhuman, or as objects of pity and tragedy
• Stereotypes and prejudices about the disabled affect their quality of life, leading to segregation and discrimination in employment
• The social model argues for a more positive and independent disabled identity, with the state providing a disabled-friendly social environment
• Antle found that disabled children often do not see themselves as different from able-bodied children