Old People in Three Industrial Societies - Softcover

Shanas, Ethel; Townsend, Peter; Wedderburn, Dorothy; Friis, Henning Kristian; Milhoj, Poul; Stehouwer, Jan

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0202309509 ISBN 13: 9780202309507

Publisher: Routledge, 2007

Synopsis

Robert and Helen Lynd's Middletown set the format in sociological theory and practice for hundreds of studies in the decades following its publication in 1929. Old People in Three Industrial Societies may well set similar standards for studies in its field for many years to come. In addition to achieving a significant breakthrough in the progress of sociological research techniques, the book offers a monumental cross-cultural exposition of the health, family relationships, and social and economic status of the aged in three countries-the United States, Britain, and Denmark.

The accumulated data of this survey put to the acid test many of the stereotyped notions about the situation of the elderly: for example, that most old people are isolated from their families as well as from the society at large; that most old people want to continue to work and are barred from employment only because of prejudices against them in industry and because of fixed retirement and pension ages; that all old people live in poor economic conditions. Besides rectifying views held by many social scientists, this pathbreaking work provides empirically based answers to numerous questions regarding important features of aging, which can be studied irrespective of the broader national and social patterns that surround them.

A truly collaborative survey conducted in three countries by a team of sociologists and economists working from a similar point of view and with common methods, the book gives the newest information and viewpoints in this important field. This makes it mandatory reading and an invaluable aid for all involved in the study, treatment, and counseling of the aged. Old People in Three Industrial Societies, will be a valuable guide for all social research underlying the development and implementation of social policy.

About this title

About the Author

Ethel Shanas (1915-2005) was professor of sociology at the University of Illinois at Chicago Circle.

Review

“The book contains an invaluable stock of information, clearly and methodically presented, on the physical and mental health, the disabilities and activities, and the treatment by medical and welfare services of people aged 65 and above. There is an elaborate study of work and retirement by Poul Milhoj, an excellent account of the financial position of the elderly by Dorothy Wedderburn and a carefully balanced assessment by Peter Townsend of the evidence about isolation and loneliness.”

—T. H. Marshall, The British Journal of Sociology

“[T]his study has provided a mine of useful new information.... Anyone concerned with problems of the aged, as well as those interested in such subjects as kinship, the life cycle, or the labor force will find this book most valuable.... [T]he authors have produced a work that will be a valuable reference source for years to come.”

—Elaine Cumming, American Sociological Review

“[This book] will be used for its value as a rich source of data on the aging population as seen from a cross-national viewpoint.”

—Bernard Kutner, Social Forces

“This excellent comparative cross-national survey of those old people living at home in Denmark, Britain, and the United States contains a wealth of new data.... For sociologists interested in good data about the similarities among urban-industrial societies, in cross-national comparative research and particularly for family sociologists, this book marks the beginning of a new stage in sociological research and publication. This appears to be the report of a harmonious international professional team. It should be widely read as a clear exposition of survey data.”

—John Mogey, American Journal of Sociology

About this edition

• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 0202309509
• ISBN 13: 9780202309507
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 492