Gendered Ageing In The New Economy: Challenges And Implications For Organizational And Institutional Spaces

Gendered Ageing in the Current Economy

Develop a creative, introductory activity drawing on ‘something’ from the wider environment (movie extract; short story; poem; media piece; song; short play) that introduces the group to the issue you want to highlight.

This journal basically discusses the issue of gendered aging in the current economy alongside the introduction of issues relating to gender. According to the authors, the changing of economy has resulted to shifts that are political in nature. Therefore, challenges that are cultural and occupational occur around gender issues. There are new modes of gender that arise due to increase in interconnectedness brought by sophisticated communication and information technologies. Other issues that arise include reduced market valuation for reproductive work and care as well as employment segregation. Such would also lead to the realization that inequality for women exacerbated via social classes. In general, such realized trends come with implications regarding gender experiences within organizational and institutional spaces. On the contrary, reduced exceptions like studies regarding older women’s overrepresentation within occupations that are low paying as well as within tertiary forms of employment still don’t provide the required understanding of ageing – that is all about gendered workplace and organizational structures as well as gendering processes.

In this journal, authors discuss issues concerning aging. According to the argument – in this case, age in itself is an identity that is embodied. Age is also the principle of organization yet it has been surrounded with scant attention within studies pertaining to structural organization. The major argument put forward is that the role of age within organizational settings has not been appreciated to the required extent. Other issues that are merely touched include discursive and material dynamics of practices involving age, the manner in which discourses of age affects the body, as well as the manner in which ageing and age interact with other categories of identity. Such causes a lot of curiosity because age in itself is a major signifier within this contemporary dwelling. Age also affects everyone as a factor of existence. This article is charged with portraying the manner in which the issues regarding age and aging are addressed through challenging and enhancing what is already known regarding organizations and age. The journal is also keen at creating an agenda that would be important for research conversation stimulation. The same would ensure that a lens that is age-sensitive is introduced in the analysis of organizations. The analysis that is provided in this case is based on two major things. One of them is age being an identity that is embodied while the other is symbolic meanings associated with age within organizational practices. Afterwards, a catalyst is provided for the performance of research activities around age within organizational settings as well as organization’s aged nature.

Implications of Gendered Ageing for Organizational and Institutional Spaces

To understand the concepts put forward by the two journals discussed above, it is important to consider a case story about ageing. What is the true meaning of growing old? Growing old is inevitable, everyone grows old with time. We even have ourselves reminded year in, year out through birthdays. Every year, an individual adds an additional age to his or her chronological age. However, does that mean we are really growing older? Numbers- in form of ages will always increase while the body manifests symbols that are recognized for aging. Contrary to that, we might just be able to cheat such a progressive condition. There are processes that we might undertake to look younger (Edley & Wetherell, 2017, p. 210). Such include hair dying, hiding wrinkles, as well as dressing young. Individuals can also participate in competitive sports to act young – a process also known as a preserve for the youthful. However, we will always be reminded that we are getting younger no more. It thus, appears that no matter we would act or appear to be young, age is a factor that cannot be escaped no matter what (Acker, 2001, p. 141).

According to several research activities regarding age and aging, the matter is of no conceptual clarity. There are three main concepts of age. Such concepts include psychological age, social age, and chronological age. However, every concept is constructed socially within particular cultural and historic contexts. Ritualized or chronological age is charged with the creation of categories of aging (DWP, 2014). Within this concept, focus is placed on labor force, individual experiences, as well as industry related trends. Within employment settings, ageing is determined as the condition that limits one from being regarded as an ‘ideal worker.’ Exclusions and inclusions are regarded by employers through perceptions of re-ageing such as dynamism, speed, and technological savvy to bring out the notion of the correct age (Ainsworth, 2002, p. 580). As time goes by, a lot of issues regarding value decline and discourse are issues that cause a lot of trouble for women in particular. Research activities on the same show that women are perceived as ‘older younger’ compared to men- when it comes to ageing in gender. In a different dimension of this discussion, ageing and gendering for women and men cannot analytically and theoretically separated thereby leading to the issue of intersectionality. By looking into discussions regarding the marginalization of older men and women in sporting activities helps us understand if we are young or not (Ainsworth & Hardy, 2008, p. 391). Taking part in competitive sporting activities will depend on the inscribed social meanings on bodies that are ageing as well as whether one is female or male. A lot of research activities on ageing, age, sport and gender are charged with determining the manner in which stratification in sporting activities is becoming overtly ageist, the manner in which beliefs that are ideological regarding ageing are reproduced and constructed via sport, and the manner in which the same notion of ageing is fed by ideas that are normative as well as competition during peak performance (Calasanti & Slevin, 2001).

Age as an Identity that is Embodied within Organizational Settings

Apart from studies on organizational gender structure and work, studies also focus on occupational ageing and are charged with looking into organizing and organizational principles, practices, and processes. Such principles, practices, and processes inform individuals about issues around growth and ageing around and within the labor market. However, such studies have not fully embraced theoretical trajectories diversity (Browne & Braun, 2008, p. 17). Together with an established ‘ageing demographic’ thesis which forms a basic aspect of policing by governments worldwide, age and gender considerations have been made. Such has been done on a conception of age regarded as classical as defined chronologically. However, the critique regarding the limitations associated with employing classificatory measures is increasing. The same still plays a role that is crucial in subsequent practice and policing (Clarke & Griffin, 2008, p. 660). Therefore, age and gender is treated as categories that are separate of and in themselves producing a rift that gives researchers the freedom to compare and contrast impacts on several outcomes of work. Such outcomes would include attitudes and motivation to change or even behaviors regarding retirement (Calasanti, 2004, p. 7).

From the introductory activity, it is clear that age, ageing and gender issues face challenges that are cultural and occupational in nature. Also, increased interconnectedness brought by sophisticated communication and information technologies result to new modes of gender. Other issues that pop up as well are reduced market valuation for reproductive work and care as well as employment segregation leading to the realization that inequality for women exacerbated via social classes. Such trends are associated with implications about gender, age, and ageing experiences within the organizational and institutional spaces. However, reduced exceptions like studies about older women’s overrepresentation fields that are low paying as well as within tertiary forms of employment still don’t provide the required understanding of ageing. The truth is that ageing is all about gendered workplace and organizational structures as well as processes of gendering (Arber & Ginn, 2011).

Other learning outcomes include the discussion of age related matters in relation to embodiment. Every organization’s basic principle is age. On the contrary, it has been given scant attention within such organizations and studies pertaining to structural organization. There are also ageing issues relating to discursive and material dynamics of practices. Such issues also involve the manner in which discourses of age affects the body, as well as the manner in which ageing and age interact with other categories of identity (Beck, 2005). Generally, a lot of curiosity has been created because age in itself is a major signifier within this contemporary dwelling. Age also affects everyone because it is a factor of existence. Issues regarding age and aging need to be addressed through challenging and enhancing what is already known regarding organizations and age. Also agendas that would be important for research conversation stimulation should be created (Collins, 2013, p. 71). Such agendas would also be important in ensuring that a lens that is age-sensitive is introduced in the analysis of organizations. Analysis done in most cases is associated with age being an identity that is embodied as well as symbolic meanings related to age within organizational practices. Basic research on the same should have a catalyst for the performance of activities around age in organizational settings as well as organization’s aged nature (Arber & Ginn, 2002)

References

Riach, K., Loretto, W., and Krekula, C,. (2015). Gendered Ageing in the New Economy:Introduction to Special Issue. Gender, Work and Organization. 18 (4), 2-9.

Acker, J. (2001) Hierarchies, jobs, bodies: A theory of gendered organizations. Gender and Society, 4,2, 139–158.

Ainsworth, S. (2002) The ‘feminine advantage’: A discursive analysis of the invisibility of older women workers. Gender, Work & Organization, 9,5, 579–601.

Ainsworth, S. and Hardy, C. (2008) The enterprising self: An unsuitable job for an older worker. Organization, 15,3, 389–405.

Arber, S. and Ginn, J. (2011) Gender and Later Life. A Sociological Analysis of Resources and Constraints. London: Sage.

Arber, S. and Ginn, J. (2002) Connecting Gender and Ageing: A Sociological Approach. Buckingham: Open University Press.

Beck, U. (2005) Power in the Global Age: A New Global Political Economy. Cambridge: Polity.

Browne, C.V. and Braun, K.L. (2008) Globalization, women’s migration, and the long-term-care workforce. The Gerontologist, 48,1, 16–24.

Calasanti, T.M. (2004) New directions in feminist gerontology: An introduction. Journal of Aging Studies, 18,1, 1–8.

Calasanti, T.M. and Slevin, K.F (2001) Gender, Social Inequalities, and Aging. Oxford: Altamira Press.

Clarke, L.H. and Griffin, M. (2008) Visible and invisible ageing: Beauty work as a response to ageism. Ageing & Society, 28,5, 653–674.

Collins, P.H. (2013) It’s all in the family: Intersections of gender, race, and nation. Hypatia, 13,3, 62–82.

Duncan, C. and Loretto, W. (2004) Never the right age? Gender and age-based discrimination in employment. Gender, Work & Organization, 11,1, 95–115.

DWP (2014) Fuller Working Lives: A Framework for Action. London: Department for Work and Pensions.

Edley, N. and Wetherell, M. (2017) Jockeying for position: The construction of masculine identities. Discourse & Society, 8,2, 203–217.

Thomas, R., Hardy, C., Cutche, L., & Ainsworth, S. (2014). What’s Age Got to Do With It? On the Critical Analysis of Age and Organizations. Introduction to the Special Issue, 20, 1-16.