Using a combination of statistical analysis of census material and social history, this book describes the ageing of Ireland’s population from the start of the Union up to the introduction of the old age pension in 1908. It examines the changing demography of the country following the Famine and the impact this had on household and family structure. It explores the growing problem of late life poverty and the residualisation of the aged sick and poor in the workhouse. Despite slow improvem...

Media representations of ageing play a role in stereotype formation and even reinforce them. Encountering these stereotypes can negatively impact the self-esteem, health status, physical wellbeing and cognitive performance of older people.This international collection examines different dimensions of ageing and ageism in a range of media. Chapters include explorations of the UK media during the COVID-19 pandemic; age, gender and mental health in Ghana; advertising in Brazil; magazi...

For undergraduate courses in sociology and psychology which examine ageing adulthood. This book focuses on the dramatic changes to the nature of post-retirement life experienced by people at the end of the twentieth century. It examines age and ageing in terms of the key preoccupations of contemporary sociology - citizenship, the body and the self. The book provides a platform for a new social gerontology that sees ageing as central to our understanding of social change. It examines social...

As the population ages, this book reveals how divides that are apparent through childhood and working life change and are added to in later life.Two internationally renowned experts in ageing look beyond longstanding factors like class, gender and ethnicity to explore new social divisions, including contrasting states of physical fitness and mental health. They show how differences in health and frailty are creating fresh inequalities in later life, with significant implications fo...

How do we sustain agency and identity amidst the frailty of advanced old age? What role does care play in this process?Pushing forward new sociological theory, this book explores the theoretical and practical issues raised by age and infirmity. It begins with a theoretical examination of the fourth age, interrogating notions of agency, identity and personhood, as well as the impact of frailty, abjection and ‘othering’. It then applies this analysis to issues of care.Explori...

The short lifetime of digital technologies means that generational identities are difficult to establish around any particular technologies let alone around more far-reaching socio-technological ‘revolutions’. Examining the consumption and use of digital technologies throughout the stages of human development, this book provides a valuable overview of ICT usage and generational differences. It focuses on the fields of home, family and consumption as key arenas where these processes are bei...

A groundbreaking exploration of the sociology of dementia — with contributions from distinguished international scholars and practitioners.Organised around the four themes of personhood, care, social representations and social differentiationProvides a critical look at dementia and demonstrates how sociology and other disciplines can help us understand its social context as well as the challenges it posesContributing authors explore the social terrain, res...