Topic > Ageism and state-imposed social norms

IndexFormal age normsInformal age normsPolicy changes to reduce the long shadow of inequalityConclusionWhatever the inequality, I want to focus on age restrictions and discrimination. Imagine your transition into adulthood. After all, this period is accompanied not only by well-established formal and informal social restrictions, but the growth process is also associated with age. People are in trouble due to age restrictions and inequality. After all, the aging process can affect your lifestyle and career. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The term “ageism” was coined in 1968 by gerontologist (specialist in diseases of the elderly), psychiatrist, and Pulitzer Prize winner Robert Butler. Ageism is discrimination against people based on age. A good example of a study on ageism and identity is the study of St. Matthew. She has studied identity management among older women who face social stigma that they are infirm, useless and decrepit. The second classic work in this direction is “To Live and Die at Murray Manor” (Gubrium, 2012). It uses the phenomenological concept of “social worlds” to show the life of the organization – a private sanatorium through various “worlds of meaning” based on the social status of administrative staff, nurses and elderly people, determining their own meaning of old age and death. In this way, the modern government must reduce the age to facilitate socialization and transition. Society should be less unequal than it is. People want equal ability to have higher education, career promotion, high-quality medicine for children and the elderly, well-paid jobs, social benefits and respect. Formal age rulesHowever, it is not just age discrimination that leads to inequality. Some formal, or “official,” rules also limit people's behavior based on age. It is common knowledge that 16- and 17-year-olds will not be able to vote until they turn 18. In most US states, 20-year-olds are not allowed to purchase alcohol, but they are allowed to do so at 21. In Mexico, people aged 18 and above are allowed to buy alcohol, so some American students are forced to travel to drink and have fun. Workers can continue their work until age 65 (or 67 or 70). In the future, they usually retire. A good example of formal age norms is moving students from one class to another based on their age (if their abilities are generally not below or above the average age level). Furthermore, there are formal restrictions not only on viewing pornography or horror films, but there are also age limits for video games. Informal age norms Other age norms are less clearly defined. The age at which to leave school, get married, have children and start a job is not precisely set. We have restrictions on the age of sexual consent and the age you can work, but some start doing it earlier. However, in our society there are quite precise ideas about when these events should occur. For example, it is assumed that after graduating from high school (at around age 18), people should immediately look for work or continue their university studies. In fact, research suggests that there is a “social clock” or some kind of “schedule” that tells people whether their lives are shaping up according to conventional pattern. They probably feel anxious about falling behind on this program. Sometimes, to “stayin step with others,” make tragic mistakes in their lives. Recently, many young people (who are in their 30s) who took up low-paid jobs (initially for them it was part of the “alternative” lifestyle), began to feel anxious and joined political programs, hoping to find more positions of responsibility. Policy changes to reduce the long shadow of inequalityIn modern socially oriented states (welfare states), age stratification plays a significant role because it affects the distribution of public goods. The extent and direction of intergenerational transfers, the intergenerational contract in society and families, the extent of public spending on social needs and more. That is, as long as the economy is managed by adults, it is not possible to build a well-thought-out state policy without understanding who the adults are and in what age group of life they are located. a good social support policy in the different phases of the transition to adulthood. Education: minimum school leaving age, EMA (non-England), FE/HE grants, widened participation initiatives, access to course funding, free tuition fees. Employment: Youth Living Wage, Apprenticeship Schemes, Income-Based Jobseeker's Allowance, Jobs Scheme, Working Tax Credit (n/a for under 25s), Employment Support Allowance income-related employment (personal independence payment) for people with disabilities. Family formation: housing allowance, income support for lone parents, council tax for students, child tax credit. Today all benefit programs are combined into a single Universal Credit payment (Universal Credit is a means-tested monthly benefit for low-income working-age individuals). For example, the requirements for housing allowance for singles under 35 (affecting the youth population): if you are single and under 35, you can only get housing allowance for studio flat accommodation or for a single room in shared accommodation (Deeming, 2015). , the UK Department for Work and Pensions provides an intensive support program for all young people aged 18 to 21 making a new claim for Universal Credit (the Youth Compulsory Support Scheme). Its aim is to encourage and support all young people into employment, vocational training or apprenticeships. An intensive, evidence-based support program of what works, tailored to your needs and work goals. Throughout all this, you receive Universal Credit in line with the agreements. If you are on training or work experience, you may be reimbursed for travel or childcare costs. We can now link some key issues such as discrimination, inequality and transition to adulthood in the implementation of UC. First, some technical, material and social issues have emerged from UC, such as delayed payments of up to six weeks, poor administration and simply cutting the amount of money some people receive (Harwood, 2018). This has provoked a reaction from the third sector, for example the Trussell Trust states that there was a 30% increase in the use of food banks after a 6 month UC launch compared to the previous year. Which shows people pushed into absolute poverty, struggling for basic needs. Inequality is found in every age group, but there is a way to overcome it. The fight against ageism should not only focus on the role of the state, but also on the role of society. I believe that a serious problem is discrimination.