Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-2lccl Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-26T15:44:23.930Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Seniors and Portrayals of Intra-generational and Inter-generational Inequality in the Globe and Mail*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 March 2010

Julia Rozanova ,
Herbert C. Northcott  and
Susan A. McDaniel
Julia Rozanova*
Affiliation:
Department of Sociology, University of Alberta
Herbert C. Northcott
Affiliation:
Department of Sociology, University of Alberta
Susan A. McDaniel
Affiliation:
Department of Sociology, University of Windsor
*
Requests for offprints should be sent to:/Les demandes de tirés-à-part doivent être addressées à : Julia Rozanova, Department of Sociology, University of Alberta, 419 HM Tory Building, Edmonton, AB T6G 2H4. (rozanova@ualberta.ca)
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

In this article, we examine how seniors are portrayed in the Globe and Mail. Thirty articles published in 2004 were selected and thematically analysed. Seniors were discussed in six different contexts, including family, work/retirement, community networks, scientific studies of population, social and health care policy, and social attitudes to aging. Issues pertaining to seniors were captured in three themes. The theme diversity of seniors made visible seniors of different genders, ages, health statuses, abilities, and needs. The successful aging theme provided positive examples of aging well but marginalized seniors who did not meet these expectations, thereby fostering intra-generational ageism. The apocalyptic demography/inter-generational conflict theme underscored the importance of society's support system for the elderly but raised the issue of inter-generational inequality, of presenting the elderly as a burden on younger persons in families and on society at large. Critical analyses suggested that both negative and positive newspaper portrayals of seniors might be ageist.

Résumé

Cet article examine comment les personnes âgées sont décrites dans le Globe et Mail. Trente articles publiés en 2004 ont été sélectionnés et analysés thématiquement. Dans ces articles les personnes âgées étaient présentées dans six contextes différents: la famille; le travail et la retraite; les réseaux communautaires; les études scientifiques de population; la sécurité sociale et la politique santé; les attitudes sociales sur le vieillissement. Les questions concernant les aînés reflètent trois thèmes: le thème de la diversité des personnes âgées a fait apparaître les aînés de différents âges, sexes, degrés de santé, besoins et ressources; le thème de la vieillesse a réussi à projeter des exemples positifs de vieillissement, mais a marginalisé les aînés qui ne correspondent pas à ce modèle et, par conséquent, a encouragé un âgisme intra-générationnel; le thème de la démographie apocalyptique et du conflit inter-générationnel a souligné l'importance de la sécurité sociale pour les aînés, mais aussi a manifesté le problème d'inégalité entre les générations en décrivant les aînés comme un fardeau pour les personnes plus jeunes dans les familles et dans la société. Les analyses critiques ont proposé que les descriptions négatives et positives des personnes âgées dans les journaux, puissent manifester les signes d'âgisme.

Keywords

agingseniorsnewspaper portrayalsdiversityinequalityinequalityageismvieillissementaînésdescriptions dans les journauxdiversitéinégalitéâgisme
Type
Articles
Information
Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement , Volume 25 , Issue 4 , Winter/Hiver 2006 , pp. 373 - 386
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Association on Gerontology 2006

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

*

We thank Judith Golec for her useful comments on earlier drafts and the anonymous reviewers for their insightful and helpful feedback. Julia Rozanova received support from an Izaak W. Killam Memorial Doctoral Scholarship and from Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research Studentship.

References

Abu-Laban, S., & McDaniel, S. (2004). Aging women and standards of beauty. In Mandell, N. (Ed.), Feminist issues: Race, class and sexuality (pp. 69–94). Toronto: Prentice-Hall.Google Scholar
Adams, P., & Dominick, G.L. (1995). The old, the young, and the welfare state. Generations, 19(3), 38–43.Google Scholar
Bell, J. (1992). In search of a discourse on aging: The elderly on television. Gerontologist, 32(3), 305–311.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Blaikie, A. (1999). Aging and popular culture. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Bukov, A., Maas, I., & Lampert, T. (2002). Social participation in very old age: Cross-sectional and longitudinal findings from BASE. Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences, 57B(6), P510–P517.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bytheway, B. (2005). Ageism and age categorization. Journal of Social Issues, 61(2), 361–374.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chapman, S.A. (2005). Theorizing about aging well: Constructing a narrative. Canadian Journal on Aging, 24(1), 3–18.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Chappell, N., Gee, E., McDonald, L., & Stones, M. (2003). Aging in contemporary Canada. Toronto: Prentice Hall.Google Scholar
Charmaz, K. (2000). Grounded theory: Objectivist and constructivist methods. In Denzin, N., & Lincoln, Y. (Eds.), Handbook of qualitative research (pp. 509–535). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Chen, M., Zhou, N. (1994). The portrayal of older people in Canadian advertisements: Regular vs. specialized magazines. In Marshal, V., & McPherson, B. (Eds.), Aging: Canadian perspectives (pp. 206–216). Peterborough, ON: Broadview Press.Google Scholar
Cohen, H.L. (2002). Developing media literacy skills to challenge television's portrayal of older women. Educational Gerontology, 28(7), 599–620.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cole, T.A. (1992). The journey of life: A cultural history of aging in America. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Denzin, N., Lincoln, Y. (2000). Methods of collecting and analyzing empirical materials. In Denzin, N., & Lincoln, Y. (Eds.), Handbook of qualitative research (pp. 32–645). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Diamond, E., & Ohringer, M. (1993). CBS: Why it may be the only network for us. New choices for retirement living, 33(3), 34–37.Google Scholar
DiPietro, L. (2001). Physical activity in aging: Changes in patterns and their relationships to health and function. Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Science, 56A(10), 13–23.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Donlon, M., Ashman, O., & Levy, B. (2005). Re-vision of older television characters: A stereotype-awareness intervention. Journal of Social Issues, 61(2), 307–319.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Eales, J., Keating, N., Rozanova, J., Dobbs, B., Keefe, J., & Swindle, J. (2005). Diversity among older adults. Presentation at the annual conference of the Canadian Association of Gerontology, Halifax, NS.Google Scholar
Fisher, W. (1989). Human communication as narration: Toward a philosophy of reason, value, and action. Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina Press.Google Scholar
Gee, E.M., & McDaniel, S.A. (1993). Social policy for an aging society. Journal of Canadian Studies, 28(1), 139–153.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gerbner, G., Gross, L., Signorielli, N., & Morgan, M. (1980). Television violence, victimization and power. American Behavioral Scientist, 23(5), 705–717.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gibb, H., & Holroyd, E. (1996). Images of old age in the Hong Kong print media. Aging and Society, 16(2), 151–175.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Giles, H., & Reid, S. (2005). Ageism across the lifespan: Towards a self-categorization model of aging. Journal of Social Issues, 61(2), 389–404.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gitlin, T. (1983). Inside prime time. New York, NY: Pantheon.Google Scholar
Graham, H. (2004). Social determinants and their unequal distribution: Clarifying policy understandings. Milbank Quarterly, 82(1), 101–124.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hacker, H. (1951). Women as a minority group. Social Forces, 30, 60–69.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hagestad, G., & Uhlenberg, P. (2005). The social separation of old and young: A root of ageism. Journal of Social Issues, 61(2), 343–360.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Harwood, J., & Roy, A. (1999). The portrayal of older adults in Indian and U.S. magazine advertisements. Howard Journal of Communications, 10(4), 269–280.Google Scholar
Herzog, A.R., Markus, H.R., Franks, M.M., & Holmberg, D. (1999). Activities and well-being in older age: Effects of self-concept and educational attainment. Psychology and Aging, 13(2), 179–186.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Holstein, M., & Minkler, M. (2003). bookSelf, society, and the “new gerontology”. Gerontologist, 43(6), 787–797.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Katz, S. (2000). Busy bodies: Activity, aging, and the management of everyday life. Journal of Aging Studies, 14(2), 135–152.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Katz, S., & Laliberte-Rudman, D. (2005). Exemplars of retirement: Identity and agency between lifestyle and social movement. In Katz, S. (Eds.), Cultural aging: Life course, lifestyle, and senior worlds (pp. 140–160). Peterborough, ON: Broadview.Google Scholar
Kaye, L.W., Butler, S.S., & Webster, N.M. (2003). Toward a productive ageing paradigm for geriatric practice. Ageing International, 28(2), 200–214.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kessler, E.M., Rakoczy, K., & Staudinger, U. (2004). The portrayal of older people in prime time television series: The match with gerontological evidence. Aging and Society, 24, 531–552.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kolbe, R.H., & Albanese, P.J. (1997). The functional integration of sole-male images into magazine advertisement. Sex Roles, 36(11/12), 813–839.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lascelles, E. (2004). Bad news: You're getting older. Canadian Business, 12(27), 40.Google Scholar
Loetterle, B. (1994). Ageless prose: A study of the media-projected images of aging. New York, Garland.Google Scholar
McDaniel, S.A. (1997). Intergenerational transfers, social solidarity, and social policy: Unanswered questions. Canadian Public Policy, 23(1), 1–21.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McDaniel, S.A. (2003a). Generationing gender: Justice and the division of welfare. Journal of Aging Studies, 18(1), 27–44.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McDaniel, S.A. (2003b). Pensions, privilege and poverty: Another “take” on intergenerational equity. In Pennec, S., & Veron, J. (Eds.), Le Contrat à l'épreuve des changements demographiques (pp. 259–278). Paris: Institut national de la recherche scientifique.Google Scholar
McDaniel, S.A. (2005). Sentenced by a metaphor: Living with aging. Recent Advances, Research Updates, 6(3), 275–278.Google Scholar
McDonald, L. (2004). The economic legacy of divorce and separation for women in old age. Canadian Journal on Aging, 23(1), S83–S97.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McHugh, K. (2000). The ”ageless self”? Emplacement of identities in Sun Belt retirement communities. Journal of Aging Studies, 14, 103–115.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McHugh, K. (2003). Three faces of ageism: Society, image and place. Aging and Society, 23, 165–185.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McNamara, K. (1998). Elderly women: Do they suffer a double burden?. In Redburn, D., & McNamara, R.P. (Eds.), Social Gerontology (pp. 143–154). Newport, CT: Auburn House.Google Scholar
Menec, V.H. (2003). The relation between everyday activities and successful aging: A 6-year longitudinal study. Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences & Social Sciences, 58(2), S74–S83.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Morse, J. (Ed.). (1997). Completing a qualitative project. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Nelson, T. (2005). Ageism: Prejudice against our feared future self. Journal of Social Issues, 61(2), 207–221.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Northcott, H. (2005). Too young, too old: Age in the world of television. Gerontologist, 15, 184–186.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
O'Reilly, E. (1997). Decoding the cultural stereotypes about aging: New perspectives on aging talk and aging issues. New York: Garland.Google Scholar
Patton, M.Q. (2002). Qualitative research and evaluation methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Payne, G., & Williams, M. (2005). Generalization in qualitative research. Sociology, 39(2), 295–314.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Peel, N., McClure, R., & Bartlett, H. (2005). Behavioral determinants of healthy aging. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 28(3), 298–304.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Phelan, E.A., Anderson, L., LaCroix, A., & Larson, E. (2004). Older adults' views on “successful aging”: How do they compare with researchers' definitions?. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 52(2), 211–217.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Robinson, J.D., Skill, T., Turner, J.W. (2004). Media usage patterns and portrayals of seniors. In Nussbaum, J.E., & Coupland, J. (Eds.), Handbook of communication and aging research (pp. 423–451). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.Google Scholar
Rowe, J.W., & Kahn, R.L. (1997). Successful aging. Gerontologist, 37(4), 433–440.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ryan, G.W., Bernard, H.R. (2000). Data management and analysis methods. In Denzin, N., & Lincoln, Y. (Eds.), Handbook of qualitative research (pp. 769–802). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Silverman, D. (2000). Analyzing talk and text. In Denzin, N., & Lincoln, Y. (Eds.), Handbook of qualitative research (pp. 821–834). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Tate, R.B., Lah, L., & Cuddy, T.E. (2003). Definition of successful aging by elderly Canadian males: The Manitoba follow-up study. Gerontologist, 43(5), 735–745.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tesch, R. (1990). Qualitative research: Analysis types and software tools. New York: Falmer.Google Scholar
Thornton, J. (2002). Myths of aging or ageist stereotypes. Educational Gerontology, 28, 301–312.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Turner, B. (1991). Aging, status politics and sociological theory. British Journal of Sociology, 40(4), 588–606.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vasil, L., & Wass, H. (1993). Portrayal of the elderly in the media: A literature review and implications for educational gerontologists. Educational Gerontology, 19(1), 71–85.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vernon, J., Williams, J., Phillips, T., & Wilson, J. (1990). Media stereotyping: A comparison of the way elderly women and men are portrayed on prime-time television. Journal of Women and Aging, 2(4), 55–68.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Whitfield, C. (2001). Benign or malign? Media stereotyping. Nursing Older People, 13(6), 10–13.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed