Introduction
Analyzing the topic of age limits and limitations, being considered too young or too old for a particular activity or group of people is standard practice. This injustice is called “ageism,” a neologism for sexism and racism. Such a system became relevant only recently due to the connection with age restrictions necessary for specific jobs or social security payments (Quadagno, 2014). It is necessary to analyze age as an aspect of the dominance of relations, as a norm that serves to organize a life path, and as a political tool for managing and ranking individuals.
The Multifaceted Nature of Age and the Problem of Ageism
There are different meanings of the term age. One of them is chronological age, which includes age limits. The second is the position at the conditional stages of the life path. Furthermore, the third is the physiological changes associated with the body’s aging, which is called anti-aging. Although these three dimensions may be present and interrelated in judging someone’s “age,” they are not consistently accurate. It is unfair to me when a person is denied an opportunity or service because of their chronological age, the fact that they are at a particular stage in life, or because they look older.
However, chronological, status, or physical aspects of age are often confused in ordinary language and social scientific studies of age and the fight against ageism. When the first theories of ageism were formulated, age discrimination was considered similar to sexism or racism. However, the classification of victims of ageist behavior and the social structures that arise create a specific conceptual and practical problem. For example, if the first victims are those who are perceived as old, how are the boundaries of this group defined? If a person at any age can become a victim of ageism, then it is possible to explain the sharp social meanings that were associated with the classification of too young and too old.
Age Norms, Timeliness, and the Social Consequences of Deviation
People whose behavior meets expectations are considered timely, while those who violate them sooner or later are considered untimely. Violation of age restrictions often leads to punishment, but I did not find clear evidence of this aspect in modern literature. Violation of the age norm can occur through the usual sanctions, such as a derogatory assessment for someone who does not follow the native script, that is, does not act according to their age (Quadagno, 2014).
Equally relevant is the poor evaluation of work for that category, whose career progress quite often needs to catch up to the schedule. The last conclusion shows that age norms can contribute to ageism if people who act according to their age conform to stereotypes. Even planned changes, when they occur out of time, can lead to weak social support if the individual adopts a status that is not acceptable or common in their social circle.
For example, the birth of children much later than friends or sooner often causes confusion, depressed mood, or fear of losing understanding between friends. A relevant example is early parenthood, which arose unplanned at the end of school. Such an event leads to the postponement of school and the violation of standard age limits, which affects a person and their psychological situation. One of the examples of the most conflicting age transitions is widowhood at a young age, as minimal support from society can occur.
Atypical Life Events and the Need to Re-evaluate Age Norms
When I found out that my friend’s family had such a case, I was frustrated. A person who was widowed at the age of 20 due to an accident was left entirely without support. Relatives and friends convinced her that she would still be able to find a husband since she was young and had her whole life ahead of her. However, in times of depression and grief, this person needed the support of a different type. The conflict arose against the background that widowhood at an early age is very unlikely, and society does not consider it a problem, as a person has a life ahead of them, and a loved one whom they lost can be replaced over time. In my opinion, such thinking and perception violate all moral concepts of accepting and living with loss, and treating such people as exceptional in society is a big mistake.
Life is quite unpredictable, and today, setting some age-old framework for society is not an effective strategy; it is a stereotype that the masses transfer from age to age. I always thought that there are no age norms for specific events that a person cannot influence. Currently, my perception of this thought has not changed. However, this conflict negatively affected my perception of society’s current reaction to tragic life situations. Still, it strengthened my point of view, considering that discrimination based on age or transition is quite strong nowadays. Therefore, specific measures should be adopted to change society’s attitude to age norms.
Today, there are controversies about the correctness of aging or behaving according to age. There are still difficulties in conceptualizing and measuring “age norms.” For example, if sanctions against specific age categories are a critical measure of norms, then they should be measured objectively rather than subjectively. A relatively small number of researchers have recorded this vital component.
The status of age norms about behavior needs more attention. While role reversal is the focus of literature and courses of study, age norms may be most prominent in some sense. Such information can also become an invitation to a discussion about how strongly society is now organized according to age norms (Quadagno, 2014).
A large number of scientists believe that in American society in the last half of the nineteenth and even in the twentieth century, more and more emphasis was placed on age grading. Moreover, by the end of the twentieth century in America, age had become more irrelevant. This means that changes and behavior have become less important than age, which was previously determined.
Conclusion
The last thing people expect today is more variety in the results of aging. Due to the conceptual emphasis on the search for behavioral models, it is therefore uncommon for such a diverse heritage of age norms to be accepted. However, it is important to remember that historical and cultural distinctions do not always reflect the universal or natural consequences of aging. An example is the fact that the majority considers teenagers to be rebellious, and to a greater extent, this is the cause and effect of particular social arrangements. Therefore, future studies of the dynamics of age norms will continue to contribute to the development of research in the field of age norms, aging, and age chronology.
Reference
Quadagno, J. (2014). Aging and the life course: An introduction to social gerontology. 6th Edition, McGraw-Hill, New York.