The ‘Double standard of ageing’ is the idea that women are compared in a harsher way to men as they get older. Sontag noted in her article the ‘double standard of ageing’ 1972 that the relations between men and women are based on hypocrisy as men do not face the same pressures as women during the ageing process. The relationship between gender and age is generally understudied and has only started coming to the fore of sociological studies in recent years. Subsequently there are much more theoretical ideas about gender and age but not much empirical evidence. This essay will investigate Sontag’s argument of the ‘double standard of ageing’ and whether or not this can still be seen in society? I will then go on to explore the difference between
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Words are often used in association with older women which conjure up the image of something unpleasant and are also derogatory such as ‘witch’ (Stoddard 1983 cited in Richards et al 2012). Richards et al were particularly interested in the way that older generations were portrayed and therefore along with the New Dynamic of Ageing Initiative commissioned a special project to take place whereby ‘alternative’ images of ageing should be produced. The idea behind the project was that we believe everything portrayed to us in the media, yet that ‘captures and constrains our imagination’ (Richards et al 2012:66). An ideal example of how the structural influences such as the media relate to the double standard of ageing can be seen in Selina Scott who was paid over £250,000 in damages after being discriminated against back in 2008 for being too old. Instead Celina who at the time was fifty seven was replaced by a twenty eight and thirty two year old. The ‘alternative’ images designed to challenge societies stereotypes of old age made the women look nostalgic and as if they weren’t having fun which was a common theme throughout the interviews conducted alongside the photographic work. Therefore even a specially designed assignment to defy common conceptions failed to make an impact. Nonetheless it cannot be assumed that the society constricts us in what view. The …show more content…
This analogy again relates to the common conception that social structures define our lives and the actions we make. However, Hayward and Lukes acknowledge that in actual fact individuals can influence and constrict structures. In Nobody to shoot? Power, structure, and agency: A dialogue Lukes argues that “The powereful are those actors (individual or collective) who can reasonably be held responsible for the limits imposed on the freedom of other actors (Hayward and Lukes 2008:6). Consequently this reinforces the view that when it comes to the argument of structure and agency it is a never ending cycle of which influences and constricts the
Words are often used in association with older women which conjure up the image of something unpleasant and are also derogatory such as ‘witch’ (Stoddard 1983 cited in Richards et al 2012). Richards et al were particularly interested in the way that older generations were portrayed and therefore along with the New Dynamic of Ageing Initiative commissioned a special project to take place whereby ‘alternative’ images of ageing should be produced. The idea behind the project was that we believe everything portrayed to us in the media, yet that ‘captures and constrains our imagination’ (Richards et al 2012:66). An ideal example of how the structural influences such as the media relate to the double standard of ageing can be seen in Selina Scott who was paid over £250,000 in damages after being discriminated against back in 2008 for being too old. Instead Celina who at the time was fifty seven was replaced by a twenty eight and thirty two year old. The ‘alternative’ images designed to challenge societies stereotypes of old age made the women look nostalgic and as if they weren’t having fun which was a common theme throughout the interviews conducted alongside the photographic work. Therefore even a specially designed assignment to defy common conceptions failed to make an impact. Nonetheless it cannot be assumed that the society constricts us in what view. The …show more content…
This analogy again relates to the common conception that social structures define our lives and the actions we make. However, Hayward and Lukes acknowledge that in actual fact individuals can influence and constrict structures. In Nobody to shoot? Power, structure, and agency: A dialogue Lukes argues that “The powereful are those actors (individual or collective) who can reasonably be held responsible for the limits imposed on the freedom of other actors (Hayward and Lukes 2008:6). Consequently this reinforces the view that when it comes to the argument of structure and agency it is a never ending cycle of which influences and constricts the