‘Ageing is not merely a chronological process but is a culturally defined term with largely negative connotations’. Discuss
Ageing is a social structure. A social structure is defined as an enduring social pattern that provides a backdrop against which social life is carried out, it is something that we are born into.
Age interacts with other structures like gender to both enable and restrain us in different ways throughout our lives. This is because society has expectations of how we should act depending on our age, for example, tantrums are expected in two years olds but not in thirty-two year olds.
In this essay, I will be discussing whether ageing is something that has largely negative connotations in society. I’ll look at how age as a social structure both gives and takes away power, and at the difference between how males and females are treated as they get older, especially when it comes to work and relationships. In addition, I will explore how ageing is seen across different cultures and how the connotations of ageing have changed over time.
Erikson (1963) developed the life cycle approach. He produced a fixed model to show how we go through different phases in our lives. By looking at our biological and psych-social development he came up with 8 different stages. ‘Each stage is associated with an inherent conflict or crisis that the individual must encounter and successfully resolve to proceed with development’. (Sokol, Justin T. 2009 ‘Identity development throughout the lifetime: an examination of Eriksonian Theory’ Graduate Journal of Counselling Psychology. Vol 1. Issue 2 Spring 2009. Pgs 140-148). If these crises then aren’t resolved they will come back as problems in later life.
Erikson’s suggestion is very difficult to apply to life today given its rigidness and the fact that society has changed so much since then: people are living much longer and so are therefore retiring a lot later, furthermore people get divorced and get re married so potentially go through a life stage more than once.
As we get older and go through life stages, the level of power that we have increases. Adulthood is seen as the most powerful age category as it is a time where we have the most rights and opportunities available to us. Furthermore, adults have power to define the identities of children and others. This therefore implies that ageing is positive as we gain power. However, as we continue to age our power then begins to decrease again as children and the elderly are the least powerful cohorts. This could suggest that ageing, up to a certain point, is positive but once we pass our middle years it is then something we see as a negative. (example of older people losing power?)
Jenny Hockey and Alison James in their book “Growing up and Growing old” ((Hockey, J and James, A (1993). Growing up and Growing old. London: Sage Publications. p10.) argued that children and the old share some common experiences in that both groups of people lack the power to define their lives and identities and both are marginalized from mainstream adult life. They argue that the elderly is infantilized, which they describe as ‘The treatment of elderly as if they were children’. The book goes on to say that this treatment of the elderly leads to ‘Personal Humiliation and Emotional Vulnerability’ (examples)
It has also been suggested that ageing has a relationship with gender and that perhaps ageing is seen more as negative for women than men. In fact, Sontag suggested that there is a double standard of ageing in that ‘ageing enhances a man but progressively destroys a woman’ (Sontag S, 1972 ‘The double standard of ageing’, The Saturday Review, September 23rd 1972, pp 29-38). Sontag (1972). This is because women are often defined by their body and face whereas men are defined by their wealth, power and prestige. Sontag suggested that ageing is more damaging for females, whereas men can grow old and become more distinguished. As a result of this women are more likely than men to attempt to avoid signs of ageing. This is again supported by data from The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons ‘Nine out of 10 procedures were in women, although the rise was seen in both genders. ‘ – http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-35501487
Furthermore, in Sontag’s Article ‘The double standard of ageing’ she suggested that women suffer from more adverse effects of ageing than men due to the types of jobs they are involved in. Women tend to be involved in more service based jobs like ‘…Secretaries, clerks, sales personnel, maids, research assistants, waitress, social workers, nurses, teachers …’ (Sontag S, 1972 ‘The double standard of ageing’, The Saturday Review, September 23rd 1972, pp 29-38) where it is important to look good because these jobs involve a lot of interaction with customers. On the other hand, ‘men are disproportionately employed in craft, operator, and laborer jobs’ (Wotton B, 1997 ‘Gender differences in occupational employment’, Monthly Labour Review, April 1997, pp 15-24) where they have less interaction with customers and appearance in less important. As a result of this differences women face more backlash when it comes to ageing as they feel the pressure to be well presented in their workplace, unlike men who spend less time with their clients.
Moreover, this idea that there is some sort of gender biasedness when it comes to ageing is also applicable to relationships. Sontag’s article says that ‘for most women ageing means a gradual process of sexual disqualification’ (Sontag S, 1972 ‘The double standard of ageing’, The Saturday Review, September 23rd 1972, pp 29-38). This is because men desire someone who is young; it has been suggested by evolutionary psychologist that it is because young women are seen as more fertile. Therefore, when women start to get older men will look for someone who is more youthful. In contrast, getting older actually works better for men because women what value is ‘.. set more by what they do then how they look’ (Sontag, S. 1972, ‘The double standard of ageing’, The Saturday Review, September 23rd 1972, pp 29-38). This supports the suggestion that there is a double standard of ageing as women will find it more difficult to start new relationships as they get older.
We’re shaped in society by common stereotypes which are associated with different age groups. ‘Stereotypes of aging include assumptions and generalizations about how people at or over a certain age should behave, and what they are likely to experience, without regard for individual differences or unique circumstances’ (Rylee A. Dionigi, ‘Stereotypes of Aging: Their Effects on the Health of Older Adults,’ Journal of Geriatrics, vol. 2015, 9 pages’)
We’re sanctioned by the media and our family to behave in a certain way at a particular age; – Children growing up too quickly, pressure from family and media for children to remain childlike for as long as possible.
Furthermore, the way elderly women are often characterized in children’s literature and television programs means that they are portrayed to society as unhealthy, unattractive and asexual. For example, in many books and plays an older woman is referred to as the ‘old witch’ or ‘old hag’ or ‘the evil aged step mother’. Elderly women are now expected to be grumpy or rude as this is how they are so often portrayed in fiction. This generalization has led to the development of a stereotype of elderly women, which is now expressed in societal attitudes and structures. (Harrison, J. (1983). Women and Ageing: Experience and Implications. Ageing and Society, 3(2), 209-235)
Ageing in society is largely seen as a negative thing, and people try to look youthful for as long as possible. More and more people are opting to have plastic surgery in an attempt to maintain their youthful looks. This is supported by data collected by The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons in 2015 who said there were ‘51,140 surgical procedures last year – up from 45,406 the year before’. (8th February 2015, ‘Cosmetic Surgery Ops on the rise’ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-35501487, accessed on 29th October 2017)
The second most popular procedure was eyelid surgery which further suggests that people are attempting to eradicate any signs of ageing. When the BBC reported on this rise in plastic surgery they asked a plastic surgeon what he believed was the cause of this increase. He said that ‘social media is becoming more popular, people are sending pictures of themselves frequently and want to look good’. Perhaps ageing is seen as a negative because of the rise in vanity in social media and ageing is seen as an unattractive look. The media gives us the idea that we must put effort into keeping looking young – http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-35501487
On the other hand, ageing can be seen as a positive attribute. For example, in some professions like teaching and politics older people are seen more attractive as they are thought to be more trustworthy and experienced…(reference)…wisdom and experience
Moreover, ageing isn’t seen as a negative in all cultures. Ageism is rooted as a fear in western society. This is because in western cultures the body is a central indicator of self. (reference) This means that the way you are treated is dependent on how you look. For example, if you look young then you are treated like a young person.
As you get older the ageing body becomes a mask, this means that you can be treated like an old person despite the fact that you still feel young inside.
However, negative perceptions of ageing are not consistence across different cultures. Lockenhoff discusses how in a cross-cultural study, it was found that ‘young adults from cultures with a higher proportion of older adults reported less favorable societal views on ageing ‘ (Löckenhoff, Corinna E. et al. “Perceptions of Aging across 26 Cultures and Their Culture-Level Associates.” Psychology and aging 24.4, 2009, pgs 941–954, 5 Nov 2017)
This shows that in countries such as the UK where there is a high proportion of older people (2011 Census, Office for National Statistics,22.6% aged 60+) ageing is seen as more than just a chronological process and is something that is looked down on. Furthermore, in the same study Lockenhoff reports that they found ‘ a small but significant effect indicating that participants from Asian cultures hold more positive societal views of ageing than their Western counterparts’. (Löckenhoff, Corinna E. et al. “Perceptions of Aging across 26 Cultures and Their Culture-Level Associates.” Psychology and aging 24.4, 2009, pgs 941–954, 5 Nov 2017)
In non-Western cultures the elderly are often the most respected in society. Some Eastern/Asian cultures practice ancestor worship, which promotes a positive view of ageing and means they hold older adults in high esteem.
For example, in India the elderly are respected and admired for their wisdom instead of being put down for their frailties, so much so that they are seen as the head of the family. It’s also part of Indian tradition to touch the feet of their elders as sign of their love and respect towards them and to request their blessings. Furthermore, both China and Korea follow the Confucian principle of filial piety. This principle says that you have a duty to your parents and to respect your elders. Where in Western Cultures someone’s 18th or 21st birthday are largely celebrated in Korea they celebrate their 60th and 70th birthday. Children host a big party for their parents 60th birthday as it is seen as their passage into old age. The 70th Birthday is also called ‘old and rare’ which indicates how well respected this age is considered to be. This shows the difference between western and non-western societies as in western societies the youth is highly celebrated and praised.
(‘7 cultures that celebrate ageing and respect their olders’, Huffington Post, 25/02/2014)
To conclude, I believe that on the whole in today’s society ageing is largely seen as a negative process that is inevitable for all. Despite the fact that growing up is something that most young adults can’t wait for, due to the ‘perks’ of being over 18, I believe that once this phase is over we don’t look forward to becoming older.
Furthermore, I think that due to the rise of technology and social media older people can struggle to keep up and as a result the previously most respected members of family get pushed aside, because they can’t keep up with the technological changes in today’s society.
I also believe that part of the reason why we associate ageing connotations is because in western culture old age is often presented negatively, every day we hear common stereotypes and nicknames such as ‘old hag ‘one foot in the grave’ etc. and so as a result try hard to stay away from anything that labels them old.