Social Gerontology and the Age Stratification of Society

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Abstract
This essay describes the emerging sociology of age stratification as a fresh approach to social gerontology that emphasizes not just being old and growing old but all the age strata within the changing society as a whole. It calls for a re-examination of old age as just one ingredient in the societal macrocosm, inseparable from and interdependent with the other age strata. It also urges a re-examination of aging and the succession of births and deaths as integral parts of societal process and change that follow their own rhythm and that in themselves constitute immanent strains and pressures toward innovation. Such an approach, in some ways analogous to the highly developed sociological field of class stratification, promises to shed light on old age and aging and, at the same time, suggest potential solutions to problems of great immediate concern.

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