Gender, Social Inequalities and Aging
The experience of men and women in later life varies enormously, not only along lines of gender but also due to ethnicity, class, sexual orientation, and race. In this text on gender issues among the aging, Calasanti and Slevin explore these differences, their genesis, their meaning to men and women, and their treatment in the policy arena. The authors also take to task traditional research on aging and how it ignores these issues. The authors cover topics of work and retirement, body image,...
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The experience of men and women in later life varies enormously, not only along the lines of gender but also due to ethnicity, class, sexual orientation, and race. Calasanti and Slevin explore these differences, their genesis, their meaning to men and women, and their treatment in the policy arena.
AcknowledgmentsIntroduction1A Gender Lens3Overview of the Book10Ch. 1A Gender Lens on Old Age13The Social Construction of Old Age14Ageism19Aging through a Gender Lens27Ch. 2Gender and the Study of Old Age29Introduction29Gender in the Study of Old Age33A Gender Lens on Aging36Ageism in Social Gerontology42Where Do We Go from Here?47Ch. 3Bodies in Old Age51The Social Significance of the Body51Growing Old in Gendered Bodies64Conclusions70Ch. 4Sex, Sexuality, and Old Age73The Social Construction of Sex and Sexuality74Sexuality and Old Age: What Researchers Tell Us79A Gender Lens on Sexuality and Old Age86Ch. 5Gender, Social Inequalities, and Retirement Income93Gender, the State, and Retirement Income: Social Security95Gender Relations in the Family and the Workplace99Pensions101Economic (In)security in Retirement107Social Security "Reforms"115Ch. 6Retirement Experiences: The Continuity of Work121The Continuity of Work124The Meaning of Work and Retirement127Discussion139Ch. 7Gender, Care Work, and Family in Old Age143What Is Care Work?144Care Work for the Old146Receiving Eldercare162Care Work from Old to Young166Discussion175Ch. 8A Gender Lens on Aging and an Aging Lens on Gender179Social Gerontology, Ageism, and Age Relations180Feminism, Ageism, and Age Relations187Theorizing Old Age190Age Relations and Social Inequalities: Freedom and In/Dependence194Conclusion202References205Index229About the Authors237
\ Contemporary SociologyI think this book is important for all sociologists, not just those interested in gender or aging. It has a special relevance for researchers, teachers, practitioners, and activists who focus on old women. I have been looking for many years for a comprehensive book to use in my class on women and aging. This is the best I have seen.\ — Anne Rankin Mahoney, University of Denver\ \ \ \ \ Alexis WalkerFinally, a book with gender and age relations at its center; a persuasive response to existing aging texts that, by homogenizing old people, reduce old women, people of color, lesbians and gay men, and members of the poor and working classes to the status of 'other.' Focusing beyond individuals and their interpersonal ties, Calasanti and Slevin reveal the limits and biases of existing research and challenge what is known about old people and their sexuality, their work, their care, and their families, thus reclaiming and redefining what it means to be old.\ \ \ Judith LorberThis book takes an original feminist perspective on old age as a political location, foregrounding gender, aging, and social power. By placing the old within the intersections of other stratifying social identities, Calasanti and Slevin present a major critical analysis of ageism. It will be indispensable reading for women's studies and sociology courses, as well for family and gerontology.\ \ \ \ \ Contemporary Sociology\ - Anne Rankin Mahoney\ I think this book is important for all sociologists, not just those interested in gender or aging. It has a special relevance for researchers, teachers, practitioners, and activists who focus on old women. I have been looking for many years for a comprehensive book to use in my class on women and aging. This is the best I have seen.\ \ \ \ \ Ageing and Society, Vol. 23, 2003\ - Kate Davidson\ In this book, Toni Calasanti and Kathleen Slevin travel a long way to unravel the paradox that the discourses of gerontology and feminism both fail to address adequately the issue of gender relations in old age...a refreshingly well-balanced account [that] examines the experience of both men and women in later life and takes into account age, ethnicity, class and sexuality...The authors elaborate a compelling case for theorising gender and age relations, rather than, as at present, 'bolting on' age to feminist discourse or gender to social gerontology...Calasanti and Slevin consolidate their argument in a highly readable, intelligent format, and have made a most valuable contribution to the understanding of later life. The book will add depth and strength to the reading lists of gender studies, gerontology, and, importantly, mainstream sociology.\ \ \ \ \ Julie McMullinGender, Social Inequalities and Aging is a thought-provoking and accessible account of the ways in which gender and age relations intersect in producing systems of advantage for some and disadvantage for others.\ This book makes several important contributions to the literature. First, it places emphasis on older women and age relations, both of which have been understudied in feminist research. Second, in the literature on aging, feminist scholarship is lacking and hence analyzing older women and age through a 'gender lens' is an important task that this book takes up. Third, I do not know of any other work that systematically considers the intersections of class, age, race, gender, and sexuality. Hence, Gender, Social Inequalities and Aging will have wide spread appeal in gerontology programs, women studies programs, and in courses on the sociology of age or gender.\ \ \
