Gerontology in the Era of the Third Age: Implications and Next Steps

Contents......Page 8
Contributors......Page 10
Foreword......Page 12
Preface......Page 14
Acknowledgments......Page 16
Introduction......Page 17
DEFINING THE THIRD AGE AND A NEW PARADIGM FOR GERONTOLOGY......Page 18
GERONTOLOGY IN THE ERA OF THE THIRD AGE......Page 20
Part I: Theoretical Development and Frameworks in the Era of the Third Age......Page 21
Part II: Methodological Approaches for Third Age Research......Page 22
Part III: Emerging Themes and Controversies in the Era of the Third Age......Page 23
FINAL THOUGHTS AND A SHARED AGENDA......Page 24
REFERENCES......Page 25
THE LIFE COURSE IN THE ERA OF THE THIRD AGE......Page 29
THE THIRD AGE AS AGE IN TIME......Page 31
PROCESS: THIRD AGE DYNAMICS......Page 33
Timing and Turning Points......Page 34
Cumulation of Advantage and Disadvantage......Page 35
THIRD AGE DYNAMICS IN CONTEXT......Page 36
THE THIRD AGE AS AN EMERGING INSTITUTION......Page 37
SOCIAL CAPITAL IN THE ERA OF THE THIRD AGE......Page 39
Contributions of Third-Agers to Social Capital......Page 40
FROM AN INDIVIDUAL TO A SOCIETAL RESOURCE: THE RECONCEPTUALIZATION OF SOCIAL CAPITAL......Page 43
THEORIZING CULTURAL CHANGE IN THE ERA OF THE THIRD AGE......Page 49
Mannheim: Generational Location and Generational Style......Page 50
Generational Fields and Generational Habitus: Bourdieu......Page 51
Mannheim and Bourdieu: Achieving a Synthesis......Page 52
THE ORIGINS OF THE THIRD AGE AS A CULTURAL FIELD......Page 53
Consumerism......Page 54
Identity Politics......Page 55
Community Transformed......Page 56
The Changing Nature of Work......Page 57
THE NATURE AND FORM OF CAPITAL(S) WITHIN THE THIRD AGE......Page 58
CHARTING THE LIMITS TO THE THIRD AGE......Page 60
FUTURE STEPS: ISSUES TO CONSIDER......Page 61
REFERENCES......Page 64
THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF AGING IN THE ERA OF THE THIRD AGE......Page 67
AN IDEAL–TYPICAL MODEL......Page 68
The Third-Ager as an Ideal Type of Retiree......Page 69
The Relevance of Third-Agers for Welfare States......Page 70
Path Dependency......Page 73
Redistribution of Resources......Page 74
Identification of Third-Agers......Page 75
The Moral Economy of Aging......Page 76
FUTURE STEPS: ISSUES TO CONSIDER......Page 77
REFERENCES......Page 78
A GENDERED LIFE COURSE IN THE ERA OF THE THIRD AGE......Page 83
Empirical Critique......Page 85
Political Critique......Page 88
FOCUS ON SOCIAL INEQUITIES......Page 90
FUTURE STEPS: ISSUES TO CONSIDER......Page 95
Final Thoughts......Page 98
DEMOGRAPHIC RESEARCH IN THE ERA OF THE THIRD AGE......Page 105
THE DEMOGRAPHIC TRANSITION......Page 106
EPIDEMIOLOGIC TRANSITIONS......Page 107
POLITICAL-ECONOMIC CHANGE......Page 108
THE IMPORTANCE OF INEQUALITY......Page 111
ACTIVE LIFE EXPECTANCY AND RELATED DEMOGRAPHIC RESEARCH......Page 112
Disability and Active Life Expectancy......Page 113
Demographic Methods in Third Age Research......Page 115
FUTURE STEPS: ISSUES TO CONSIDER......Page 117
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS......Page 120
CROSS-COUNTRY COMPARISONS IN THE ERA OF THE THIRD AGE......Page 123
THE THIRD AGE AS A SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHIC VARIABLE......Page 124
The Work-Centered Perspective......Page 125
The Work-and-Care-Focused Perspective......Page 127
MEASURING THE THIRD AGE AT THE MICROLEVEL......Page 128
Data Sources at the Microlevel......Page 129
An Example of Third Age Research at the Microlevel......Page 132
MEASURING THE THIRD AGE AT THE MACROLEVEL......Page 134
Data Sources at the Macrolevel......Page 135
An Example of Third Age Research at the Macrolevel......Page 136
FUTURE STEPS: ISSUES TO CONSIDER......Page 137
TIME-USE RESEARCH IN THE ERA OF THE THIRD AGE......Page 143
METHODOLOGICAL APPROACHES FOR EXAMINING ACTIVITY PATTERNS AND EVERYDAY LIFE......Page 145
TIME-USE METHODOLOGY......Page 146
The Time Diary......Page 147
Sampling Issues......Page 149
Complementary Data Collection Instruments......Page 150
LEISURE PATTERNS OF OLDER PEOPLE IN THE UNITED KINGDOM: A TIME-USE ANALYSIS......Page 151
Distinguishing Between ‘‘Passive’’ and ‘‘Active’’ Leisure Activities......Page 152
Social Factors Influencing Participation in ‘‘Active’’ and ‘‘Passive’’ Leisure Activities......Page 155
FUTURE STEPS: ISSUES TO CONSIDER......Page 158
REFERENCES......Page 159
QUALITATIVE INQUIRY IN THE ERA OF THE THIRD AGE......Page 163
SITUATING THE THIRD AGE......Page 164
PHILOSOPHICAL AND METHODOLOGICAL UNDERPINNINGS......Page 165
THROUGH A QUALITATIVE LENS......Page 168
Living the Life You Have Imagined......Page 169
Being Denied a Third Age......Page 171
A CRITICAL PERSPECTIVE......Page 173
Challenges to the Third Age......Page 175
FUTURE STEPS: ISSUES TO CONSIDER......Page 176
REFERENCES......Page 179
THE PRODUCTIVE AGING SOCIETY IN THE ERA OF THE THIRD AGE......Page 185
THE OVERRIDING ISSUES......Page 186
A BRIEF HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE......Page 188
PRODUCTIVE AGING VERSUS A PRODUCTIVE AGING SOCIETY......Page 195
A PRODUCTIVE AGING SOCIETY: WHAT WENT WRONG......Page 199
FUTURE STEPS: ISSUES TO CONSIDER......Page 201
RELATIONSHIPS IN THE ERA OF THE THIRD AGE......Page 205
THE DEMOGRAPHIC TRANSITION AND CHANGING LIFE BIOGRAPHIES......Page 206
Individualization and Dependency in Family Relationships......Page 208
THE IMPROVEMENT IN WOMEN’S LIFE CHANCES  AND CHANGING GENDER IDEOLOGY......Page 210
FAMILY AND MARITAL STATUS IN LATER LIFE: IMPLICATIONS FOR HOUSEHOLD COMPOSITION......Page 212
OPPORTUNITIES FOR NEW TYPES OF PARTNER  RELATIONSHIPS IN THE THIRD AGE......Page 214
LAT: A Unique Relationship for Third-Agers......Page 215
FUTURE STEPS: ISSUES TO CONSIDER......Page 217
REFERENCES......Page 219
Relevance of Social Capital and Lifestyle for the Third Age......Page 223
Social Capital as an Individual Resource......Page 226
Consequences of New Conceptualizations of Social Capital......Page 228
PRODUCTIVE AGING AND SOCIAL CAPITAL IN THE THIRD AGE......Page 230
UNDERSTANDING ACCESS TO A THIRD AGE LIFESTYLE:  A FRAMEWORK FOR SOCIAL CAPITAL......Page 232
FUTURE STEPS: ISSUES TO CONSIDER......Page 236
NORMS AND EXPECTATIONS IN THE ERA OF THE THIRD AGE......Page 241
DOMINANT NORMATIVE IDEALS FOR THE ‘‘NEW’’ OLD AGE......Page 243
THE ‘‘PARTICULAR CIRCUMSTANCES’’ OF BEING OLD......Page 245
THE CRITIQUE......Page 247
The View of Privilege......Page 249
Persistence of Ageism......Page 250
The Nonpolitical Agenda......Page 251
A TENTATIVE PROPOSAL: THE MEANING OF OLD AGE  FOR INDIVIDUALS AND SOCIETIES......Page 252
Facing Contradictions and Making Meaning......Page 254
FUTURE STEPS: ISSUES TO CONSIDER......Page 255
Afterword......Page 261
IS THE THIRD AGE A DISCERNABLE LIFE STAGE?......Page 262
DOES IT MATTER WHETHER THERE IS EVIDENCE THAT THE THIRD AGE IS A NEW LIFE STAGE?......Page 265
The Development of Third Age Norms......Page 266
Possible Harm to Social Programs......Page 267
The Long Arm of Ageism......Page 268
IMPLICATIONS OF THE THIRD AGE FOR GERONTOLOGISTS: DÉJÀ; VU ALL OVER AGAIN......Page 269
REFERENCES......Page 273
Index......Page 277