Summary Of Learning To Be Old

As we age in life, we face many challenges. Within the United States life expectancy is lowered due to the racial disparities, relatively high rates of infant death before age one, lack of health insurance, and high obesity rates. Class and ethnicity hold a strong impact on aging. In chapter seven of “Learning to be old,” the author explains ethnicity, gender, class, and sexual orientation are all in relationship with aging. Ethnicity delivers an ongoing self-identification and shared belongings when an older person starts to experience a decrease in their life. Their identities are shaped on sex, their profession, and age. Ostensibly older women are poorer than older men, especially minority women have a higher chance of being poor than Caucasian
In comparison to older lesbians are only distinguished through their sexuality. The difference is between their levels of class, income, education, and ethnicity within the LGBTQ community. All women have the same concerns about living in a retirement home no matter their sexual orientation. Older lesbians who are in their seventies and older now in life considerably differ from younger people. Due to the notation, that back then coming out was very dangerous than in today’s world. Occasionally, this steered to people losing the custody of children, exclusions from churches, physical and verbal attacks, and the loss of their house and job. Although these preconceptions still exist in our society, were lesbians develop an appreciation of solidarity and self-esteem through women’s
Unlike gender, ethnicity, class, and race age relations are significant in many ways. Everyone in life must come to the conclusion that we all age and die in life. The author affirms that age is fluid, everyone grows old and dies in life and ageism oppresses this feeling. Under these circumstances, it’s something we all will have to face in life, no matter what our age is currently. The understanding of ageism helps people understand the underlying exploration of age relations. With age relations different experiences arise from the young experiencing discrimination utterly different that older people. By all means, it is believed to be said that the youth is valued at a high in comparison to the older community in our