Article Review: Ageism and Feminism - Sociological Analysis

This report is an article review that critically examines the concepts of ageism and feminism, focusing on how age relations contribute to inequalities within society. The review highlights the authors' argument that age relations deserve more attention from scholars, particularly within feminist studies. The review discusses the marginalization of older people in research and theoretical approaches, emphasizing the need to understand age as a significant factor in social stratification. It explores the ways in which feminist theories and activism could evolve by shifting focus to the experiences of older individuals. Furthermore, the review references key scholarly works and contributions to the ongoing debate surrounding age relations, aiming to promote a deeper understanding of the topic and its implications for social justice and equality.

Running head: ARTICLE REVIEW
ARTICLE REVIEW
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1
ARTICLE REVIEW
In this article the authors have attempted to pay attention on a significant issue that was
not getting much attention from the parts of scholars since long period of time. During that time
period, Ageism and Feminism had risen as popular fields but very little work had been done in
order to actually define the component of “age relations”. It is to note that “Age is a master status
characteristic that defines individuals as well as groups” (Krekula, Nikander & Wilinska, 2018).
Our societies have always been prescribed appropriate obligations and behaviours on the basis of
age.
However, consequently Toni Calasanti, Kathleen F. Slevin, and Neal King have set out for
establishing some constrains on this subject by means of suggesting that age relations have some
really significant contribution in the subject of Ageism and Feminism. According to their studies,
the “Feminists exclude old people in their choice of research questions but also in their
theoretical approaches when they do study the old.” Furthermore, to this context, they have
claimed that feminists often say or write the term “older” instead of “old,” so that the negativity
of the latter term is avoided.
However, this article has briefly explained the meaning of 'age relations’ and what it is all
about. Moreover, it has also elaborated on the intersections of age relations with the other
prevailing inequalities. The authors have also shed light on the manners in which the old aged
people are oppressed in the society. They have explained why the age relations representative a
political location which requires to be addressed in its own right (Calasanti, Slevin & King,
2006). This article has given a very clear and concise picture on these concepts and issues. It has
demonstrated the different ways in which the feminist theories as well as the activism might get
changes in case if the focus gets shifted to the old people instead of the younger ones. The
authors have used several scholarship on the care work and the body as illustrative and by means

2
ARTICLE REVIEW
of this, they have explored both the absence of much attention on the age relations and old age.
With the same, they have also explored on the concept of how the feminist scholarship could be
transformed if there is presence of such attention on these matters. Notwithstanding this fact, the
authors have also mentioned about the work and contribution of Barbara Macdonald in this
subject. They have shed light on how Barbara Macdonald in her work in the women's movement.
They have also mentioned the role played by Berenice Carroll in this context in her NWSA
presidential, where she has discussed regarding the challenges of women of colour and lauds the
more recent inclusion of lesbian studies. It is hopeful that in the future there will be several
studies which will take old age into consideration ad will describe the positive impacts of old
age, their lives and their contributions. The goals of the study should be enhance the freedom of
the old people to choose their own lifestyle. Nevertheless, this work of these authors still
provided the impetus for a continuous and ongoing debate on the nature of age relations.

3
ARTICLE REVIEW
References:
Calasanti, T., Slevin, K. F., & King, N. (2006). Ageism and feminism: From" et cetera" to
center. NWSA journal, 13-30.
Krekula, C., Nikander, P., & Wilińska, M. (2018). Multiple marginalizations based on age:
gendered ageism and beyond. In Contemporary perspectives on ageism (pp. 33-50).
Springer, Cham.