The New Sociology of Ageing

The New Sociology of Ageing seeks to explore the challenges and opportunities of Ageing as a global force in its own right working alongside globalisation, urbanisation, new technology and now both climate change and global pandemics in transforming life in the 21st century. Through the eyes of a young sociology student and her multigenerational family, this book seeks to sketch out a new sociological framework to interpret this societal shift and to explore how the 'New Old' - the Baby Boomer generation - might be mobilised as an agency of social change in transforming later life. It also explores the possibility of this generation as the co-architects of a new intergenerational social contract for the era ahead rather than just remaining the recipients of a post-war 20th century social contract that society can no longer support. This book therefore seeks to fill a significant gap in current textbook provision by raising the profile and providing a broad overview of the emerging discipline of the sociology of ageing. With Britain as a case study and societies across the world as examples, it seeks to explore the emerging revolutions in work & retirement, the potential crises in pensions, healthcare and housing, and the transformations in both family life, and in our attitudes to sex and death in later life. It seeks to introduce students to the dynamics of demography as a sociological force of the future, as well as to alert them - as the younger generation - to the perils and the promises of longevity as societies across the world approach the 100 Year Life. Japan is nearly there; Europe and S.E. Asia are close behind and eventually even Africa will follow. This book will be of interest to undergraduate students and early scholars in Sociology, Social Sciences, Gerontology and Social Policy.