Paper-18 Sociology of Ageing
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MA SOCIOLOGY Paper-18 SOCIOLOGY OF AGEING AUTHOR KIRTI K. KALINGA RENUKA KUMAR Syllabus Unit.1: Introduction: 1. Scope & Significance of Sociology of Ageing 2. Emergence of Sociology of Ageing as a Sub-discipline 3. Trends and Patterns of Ageing-Global and Indian Scenario Unit. II: Some Aspects of Ageing : 1. Factors of Ageing 2 Problems of Ageing 3 Changing Family and Ageing Unit.III: Theoretical Approaches: 1. Structural- Functional and Conflict perspective 2. Symbolic Interaction 3. Phenomenology 4. Ethno methodology Unit. IV Adjustments in Later Life : 1. The Informal Support and Its Relevance in Later Life. 2. Elderly and the Caregivers. 3. Living Arrangements of Elderly. 4. Ageing & Retirement. Unit. V The State and the Elderly: 1. Role of State- Policies and Programmers for the Aged in India 2. Role of NGOS 3. National Policy on Aged Unit -I Contents 1.0 Objectives 1.1 Ageing – A New Concept 1.1.1 Dimensions and definitions of Ageing 1.2 Definitional problems of Old Age 1.2.1 Heterogeneity in aged group 1.3 Some Other Concepts: 1.3.1 Ageism 1.3.2 Assisted Living 1.3.3 Cohort 1.3.4 Filial Responsibility 1.3.5 Life--course Perspective 1.3.6 Retirement 1.4 Gerontology 1.4.1 Branches of Gerontology 1.4.2 The Uniqueness of Social Gerontology 1.5 Emergence of the Discipline 1.5.1 Research on Ageing 1.5.2 Development of Gerontological Theories 1.5.3 Role of Critical Gerontology in theory building 1.5.4 Indian Context 1.6 Scope and Significance 1.7 International Declarations on Ageing 1.8 Global Scenario 1.9 Ageing in India 1.10 Conclusion 1.11 References 1.12 Questions. In this unit we will analyze the various concepts and aspects of ageing. How old age is defined and how the treatment towards elderly is a product of social and cultural context. There is a need to examine ageing as a social process and the development of social gerontology asa sub discipline. Though various studies have been conducted in India on ageing but still many new emerging areas are needed to be explored. 1.0 Objectives: After studying this unit, students will be able to gain knowledge and can develop an idea about: Old age, ageing and various concepts associated with ageing like ageism, definitional dilemmas of old age, life course perspective, dimensions of ageing etc. A new sub discipline of sociology i.e. sociology of ageing,also known as Social Gerontology, its scope and the relevance of studying it. Its emergence and growth in both world and Indian scenario. Trends and patterns of ageing in Global as well as Indian context. International conferences held on ageing. Scope and significance of Sociology of ageing. Ageing is a universal phenomenon and every object in the earth undergoes the process of ageing. In the human society, ageing is considered as a social phenomenon rather than physiological, as ageing is always understood in the background of social milieu. A deeper understanding of ageing in the present day society needs the review of ageing as a process at the individual level and at the societal level. 1.1 Ageing – A New Concept: Ageing is not an event but a process. For the development theorists and practitioners ageing is one of the most neglected issues mainly because aged people are considered as disempowered and non-resourceful persons. They are not considered as a class category or status group neither by economists nor by sociologists. Though ageing is universal, till a decade back ageing is considered as natural and evolutionary process and hence it is not taken seriously. Till 1980s the problems of the old were not known to the state in the developing countries and therefore they were not attended. There are many ways to reduce the child population whereas the old population cannot be stopped as the developing countries like Asian countries methodically ignored the structure of the population. Ageing can generally be described as the process of growing old and is an intricate part of the life cycle. Basically it is a multi-dimensional process and affects almost every aspect of human life. Introduction to the study of human ageing have typically emphasized changes in demography focusing on the ‗ageing of population‘- a trend, which has characterized industrial societies throughout the twentieth century but in recent decades, has become a worldwide phenomenon. Population ageing is the most significant result of the process known as demographic transition. Two dimensions of demographic transition are: a) Reduction of fertility that leads to a decline in theproportion of the young in the population. b) Reduction of mortality which means a longer life span forindividuals. Jean Bourgeois Pichat (1979) has called attention to two process in ageing which reflects the two dimension of demographic transition. a) Ageing at the base b) Ageing at the apex. Ageing at the base occurs when fertility falls, thus decreasing the proportion of children and ageing at the apex occurs when the proportion of aged persons increases presumably due to declining mortality at older ages. Population ageing involves a shift fromhigh mortality / high fertility to low mortality / lowfertility and consequently an increased proportionof older people in the total population (Prakash,1999). This is a dynamic process was first observed in post-industrial European societies in the nineteenth century. The United Nations Conference of Ageing Populations in the context of the family held in Japan in1994 observed that for all developed countries has at least one demographic issue in common: population aging which was the inevitable consequence of fertility decline. But although fertility decline is usually considered the driving force behind changing population age structures, changes in mortality assume greater importance as countries reach lower levels of fertility. Ageing of the population is a major phenomenon in the present day world as a result of the changing demographic transition. Though the phenomenon has a universal character, it occurs in various countries at different point of time. The ageing is a phenomenon already occurred in the developed countries in the latter half of the twentieth century. The similar situation is emerging in the developing countries in the recent periods. Although the proportion of elderly in the years 60 and above is considered to be relatively low in the case of the developing countries such as India and China, they have a larger population base. Developed countries have aged with high social and economic development, the socio and economic condition of the elderly in the developing world is a cause for concern as most of them end up in living below poverty line in old age due to inefficient social security (Rajan, 2004). The poverty and deprivation are very common among the aged in the country becausethere is no proper safety nets provided by state. Though pension schemes are available but they are meagre. The state only focusses on economic dimensions of ageing and neglects the social and psychological aspects of it. 1.1.1 Dimensions and definition of Ageing Ageing has been defined in various ways by different scholars and it is measured in many ways according to the academic background of the person who study them. Some have regarded ageing as period of physiological deterioration, others regard it as simply the advancement of years and still others have emphasized that ageing involves a restriction on cultural roles. According to Bhatia (1983) the term ‗ageing‘ is a broad one and can be studied under three types – Biological, Psychological, and Socio-cultural. In the broadest sense, Charles S Becker (1959) defines ageing ‗as those changes occurring in an individual, which are the result of the passage of time‘. These may be, according to him, anatomical, physiological, psychological and even social and economic. He further adds: Ageing consists of two simultaneous components – anabolic building up and catabolic breaking down. In the middle years there is an essential balance between expansion and decay, while growth predominates in youth; degenerative changes which start occurring very clearly in life pre-dominate in the late life span. Edward J. Stieglitz (1960) defines ageing as ‗the element of time in living‘. According to him, ‗ageing is a part of living. Ageing begins with conception and terminates with death. It cannot be arrested unless we arrest life. According to Tibbitts (1960) ageing may be best defined as the survival of a growing number of people who have completed the traditional roles of making a living and child rearing and years following the completion of these tasks represent an extension of life.‖ He also says, ageing is an inevitable and irreversible biological process. According to Hooyman and Kiyak (1994), the gerontologist view ageing in terms of the following four distinct process or dimensions: Four dimensions of ageing are commonly identified: chronological, biological, psychological and social ageing. Chronological ageing refers to the number of years since someone was born Chronological age also provides individuals with a means of distinguishing roles and relationships in terms of the behaviour and expectations that are linked to different chronological groupings. But it is generally not recognised as an adequate measure of the extent of ageing because, as a process, it is thought to vary between individuals. Biological ageing, often known as senescence (declines of a cell or organism due to ageing) and sometimes functional ageing, refers to biological events occurring across time which progressively impair the physiological system so that the organism becomes less able to withstand disease, ultimately increasing its susceptibility to death. From this perspective, the ageing process stems from several physiological factors, and is modified throughout the life course by environmental factors (such as nutrition), experiences of disease, genetic factors and life stage.