Ageism
Ageism: Past, Present, and Future presents perspectives for understanding ageism and puts ageism in the context of specific social institutions. McNamara and Williamson uniquely provide a number of complementary ways to understand ageism, including social and psychological theories of ageism, economic development, ageism as frame or lens, and ageism at the intersection of various social categories such as gender and race. They then put ageism in the context of mass media, h ealth care, employment, and public policy. This short text is an ideal addition to courses on sociology of aging, social policy, and social problems.
Tay K. McNamara is Interim Co-Director of the Sloan Center on Aging and Work at Boston College. She is the principal investigator of the 2009–10 Talent Management Study, a survey of age-related attitudes and practices among United States employers. She is also the author or co-author of academic articles on a range of topics related to aging and work, such as employer-provided flexible work practices, training of older workers, and volunteerism among older adults. These articles have been cross-disciplinary, aimed at various audiences in academic disciplines sharing an interest in aging and work, such as gerontology, industrial relations, and human resource management.
John B. Williamson is Professor in the Department of Sociology at Boston College. He did his undergraduate work at MIT and his PhD work at Harvard University. He has co-authored or co-edited 17 books, most of which deal with aging issues including two that are gerontology textbooks. He has also authored or co-authored 165 journal articles and book chapters, many of which deal with aging-related issues such as older workers, retirement, Social Security, population aging, intergenerational equity, and old age security policy in various countries around the world. He has served as the chair of the Social Research, Policy, and Practice Section (which made him also a vice president) of the Gerontological Society of America. He served for many years as associate editor of The Gerontologist and is currently on the editorial board of five other journals.