The historical evolution of the third age 13 TWO the historical evolution of the third age introduction The idea that later life could be represented as a third age of individual engagement and relative autonomy is one that has been contentious among social gerontologists since it started to gain widespread use in the 1990s; see Bury (1995) for a critique and Freedman (1999) for an exhortation. Part of the reason for the controversy lies not in the sentiment for a better later life but in the challenge that the idea of a third age represents for existing
Introduction This interview study explores money practices among Swedish partnered individuals in the third age, focusing on money practices in relation to couplehood. Couples in the third age are relatively healthy and active and often have a stable financial situation ( Larsson, 2007 ). Severe disability and health impairment most often begin after age 80 ( Santoni et al, 2015 ), which marks the beginning of the fourth age ( Laslett, 1987 ). Couplehood in older age has previously been explored primarily through studies that focus on the fourth age and on
0 eIGHT Employability in the third age: a qualitative study of older people in the Glasgow labour market Pamela Clayton Introduction This chapter, like the preceding one on youth, focuses on equality issues related to age. It proceeds by first highlighting the significance of age discrimination in the context of it often being considered socially less important than racism, sexism or other forms of oppression. It is argued that the concept of the ‘third age’ is potentially a basis from which to challenge age oppression, as long as diversity issues are
89 FIVE Second-parenthood realities, third-age ideals: (grand)parenthood in the context of poverty and HIV/AIDS Jaco Hoffman Introduction Within contexts of poverty and the AIDS-related epidemics in (South) Africa, this chapter positions itself at the interface of the historical– moral engagement of grandparents in the care and nurturing of grandchildren with contemporary social realities and aspirations. Grandparents, specifically grandmothers,1 in (South) Africa have always found themselves in a situation of reciprocal exchanges: grandmothers raised and
29 TWO From ‘special needs’ to ‘lifestyle choices’: articulating the demand for ‘third age’ housing Julienne Hanson Introduction It is customary to think of housing for older people as housing for people with ‘special needs’, but, as society ages, older people’s living arrangements will undoubtedly become a major component within mainstream housing. What is more, older people are quite unlike any other ‘special needs’ category because they are ‘our future selves’. This chapter argues that pressures in the UK may already be precipitating a fundamental shift in
189 NINE Retirement communities in Britain: a ‘third way’ for the third age? Judith Phillips, Miriam Bernard, Simon Biggs and Paul Kingston Introduction This chapter addresses a form of community living that has been proposed as an antidote to many of the problems of traditional residence for older people while maintaining the advantages of community living. Retirement communities have been associated with active lifestyles in later life, non- discriminatory practice in relation to ageing, participation in day-to-day decision making, and have been credited with
Attention to social class is a major issue confronting the study of ageing in the 21st century, yet it has been significantly overlooked to date.
Social class in later life: Power, identity and lifestyle provides the most up-to-date collection of new and emerging research relevant to contemporary debates on the relationship between class, culture, and later life It explores the interface between class dynamics and later life, whilst acting as a critical guide to the ways in which age and class relations ‘interlock’ and ‘intersect’ with each other, whilst examining the emergence of new forms of inequalities alongside the interrogation of more traditional divisions.
Social class in later life brings together a range of international high profile scholars to develop a more sophisticated, analytical and empirical understanding of class dynamics in later life. It will be of major interest to students and researchers examining the implications of global ageing, and will appeal to scholars concerned with the development of a more critical and engaged gerontology.
Many developed nations face the challenge of accommodating a growing, ageing population and creating appropriate forms of housing suitable for older people.
Written by an architect, this practice-led ethnography of retirement housing offers new perspectives on environmental gerontology. Through stories and visual vignettes, it presents a range of stakeholders involved in the design, construction, management and habitation of third-age housing in the UK, to highlight the importance of design decisions for the everyday lives of older people.
Drawing on unique and interdisciplinary research methods, its fresh approach shows researchers how well-designed retirement housing can enable older people to successfully age in place for longer, and challenges designers, developers and providers to evolve their design practices and products.
Despite evidence of a more sexually active ‘third age’, ageing and later life (50+) are still commonly represented as a process of desexualisation.
Challenging this assumption and ageist stereotypes, this interdisciplinary volume investigates the experiential and theoretical landscapes of older people’s sexual intimacies, practices and pleasures. Contributors explore the impact of desexualisation in various contexts and across different identities, orientations, relationships and practices.
This enlightening text, reflecting international scholarship, considers how we can distinguish the real challenges faced by older people from the prejudices imposed on them.
Targeted as the ‘grey consumer’, people retiring now participated in the creation of the post-war consumer culture. These consumers have grown older but have not stopped consuming.
Based on extensive analysis over two years, this unique book examines the engagement of older people with consumer society in Britain since the 1960s. It charts the changes in the experience of later life in the UK over the last 50 years, the rise of the ‘individualised consumer citizen’ and what this means for health and social policies.
The book will appeal to students, lecturers, researchers and policy analysts. It will provide material for teaching on undergraduate courses and postgraduate courses in sociology, social policy and social gerontology. It will also have considerable appeal to private industry engaged with older consumers as well as to voluntary and non-governmental organisations addressing ageing in Britain.
