Starter: What inequalities do people face as a result of their age? Learning objective: To explain what is meant by chronological, biological and social age.

Age Chronological age refers to how long a person has been alive for, e.g. if a person was born in 2000, then today they are 15 years old. This age is used to determine whether a person is allowed to participate in certain activities such as buying alcohol. Biological age refers to physical changes that happen to people at different ages. For example, puberty happens to those in their teens, while older people start to turn grey. Social age refers to the expected behaviour associated with different age groups. For example, we would not expect the elderly to skateboard. 5 Mins

Task 1 Work in pairs to research the different stages in life: Childhood – Has already been done for you Youth – page 298 – 299 Old age – page Sum up the reading in your book and be ready to share your findings with the class. 20 Mins

Childhood In medieval times, children were treated as adults. They were dressed the same and had to start working as soon as they could. In the 19 th century, child labour was common for all working class children. They worked in cotton mills and coal mines. Today, child labour is illegal in Britain. In the last 100 years, many improvements have been made to the lives of children in Britain. Firstly, there are laws restricting the employment of children and they have to be in full-time education from the age of 5 to 18. therefore, their status has improved. They also have a greater say in family decisions. However, children are increasingly under pressure to resemble like adults, e.g. through the clothes they wear. Moreover, children in other parts of the world still experience difficult childhoods without education and having to work.

Youth Youth is a stage between childhood and adulthood during which individuals grow up and become independent from their parents. During this stage many people move away from home, finish full-time education and start working full time. However, it is difficult to say when youth starts and when it ends. For example, many people today stay with their parents well into their 20s because housing is very expensive. Does this mean they are still youths even though they are nearly 30? Moreover, people of different sex, ethnicity and class will experience youth differently. For example, working class people tend to move away from home and leave education earlier so we could say their youth ends earlier in comparison to middle class youths.

Older age In Britain today getting old is seen as something to be avoided and people will try to slow down the process of ageing by using facial creams and even plastic surgery. Ageism refers to discrimination based on a person’s age. For example, older people find it difficult to find employment as employers hold stereotypes about their ability, e.g. to use a PC. However, this is illegal and there are laws against ageism. However, not all elderly people experience ageing in the same way. It will depend on their ethnicity, gender and class. Moreover, in other cultures, old age is viewed as something to look forward to as older people have high status and are valued.

Does ageism still exist today? A couple in their 40s became unusual victims of age discrimination after their bank rejected a £250,000 mortgage application because it deemed the husband to be too old. HSBC was ordered to pay them compensation after the banking industry watchdog found it ‘relied on untested assumptions, stereotypes or generalisations in respect of age’ in the case. The banking giant was criticised for refusing to grant the £250,000 loan because the husband would have been over 65 when the 18-year-deal finished, according to The Sunday Times.

Exam questions Work independently to answer the exam questions on the next slide Use the textbook, pages , and your own knowledge to work out the answers.

Exam questions What is meant by the term ageism (4 marks) Explain the difference between ‘chronological age’ and ‘biological age’ (4 marks) How is the experience of age different for elderly people in Britain in comparison to other cultures? (4 marks) How is the experience of childhood different for children in Britain in comparison to other cultures? (4 marks) 20 Mins

Preparing for the exam Friday will be our final lesson on social inequality. Monday we will be doing a mini mock exam lesson for this section 27 days and counting till unit 1 exam 31 days and counting till unit 2 exam Please start to revise for the exams! We only have 9 lessons left + Friday and Wednesday boosters