Ageing : gender and generational perspectives

Teacher(s)

Rizzi Ester Lucia; Schnor Christine;

Language

French
> English-friendly

Main themes

The main themes developed are:

• Population ageing and individual ageing ;
• Causes of ageing: decrease of fertility, decrease of mortality, effect of migrations ;
• Measuring ageing: mean age, ageing ratios, dependency ratios, life expectancy without disability ;
• Rectangularization of the survival curve: what progress can still be expected?
• Physical, social and mental health among old people ;
• Feminization of ageing ;
• Traditional and new forms of solidarity between ages ;
• Economic and social consequences of society's ageing process: impact on employment, social security (de-pendency insurance) and health… " Place of the aged in society: social policies adapted to ageing.

Learning outcomes

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :
1.	understand social and demographic causes of the population ageing process and its economic, social, political consequences but also the simultaneous changing relations between generations.

Content

This course offers an in-depth exploration of aging and intergenerational relationships through a gendered perspective. Current issues related to aging (retirement, care for the elderly, grandparental support, etc.) will be addressed based on scientific literature. The perspective will be primarily demographic, while also incorporating the broader approach of social sciences.
In the first part of the course, we will discuss the concept of aging in its biological, sociological, and demographic aspects (what are the limits of longevity? How do they vary by gender? Why does aging affect the structure of a society and gender relations?). We will examine indicators that allow us to describe aging trends worldwide. Next, we will establish links between demographic aging and pension and healthcare systems. We will compare retirement age and years spent in retirement across different societies, taking labor market conditions and gender into account. We will explore definitions of active/healthy/disability-free aging and mortality. Subsequently, we will address the living conditions of the elderly by gender: how (what resources), where (in institutions or at home), and with whom (alone or with family) they age.
The second part of the course will focus on intergenerational relationships: contacts, proximity, and solidarity between generations, as well as the role of gender; the process of adult children leaving the parental home and the causes of a possible return; the role of grandparents, its evolution, and the consequences for their health; the specific case of the mainly female sandwich generation, caught between caring for younger and older family members. The final sessions will be dedicated to the challenges of aging in research and for our societies. We will identify recent data sources, future data needs, and the difficulties encountered in surveys.

Teaching methods

The course will combine lecture-based teaching and active learning through student-professor interaction. Students will be asked to express preferences about the course content on multiple occasions.
Attendance is mandatory from the first session.

Evaluation methods

Throughout the term:

• Participation in discussions (15%).
• Final paper (30%). Evaluation criteria: relevance of information regarding the issue; depth of analysis in the case study; literature development; accurate, structured, clear, precise, and argued information; form (titles, references, figures, tables, etc.).
• Oral presentation by the student (55%). The student will present a topic of their choice applied to a country of their choice. Evaluation criteria: selecting relevant information regarding the issue; presenting the information in a structured, clear, precise, and argued manner; interacting with the teachers and the class.

IMPORTANT NOTES:

• In the second session, the continuous assessment grade will be retained. The exam will consist of improving the written work and the oral presentation by following the individual recommendations provided during the review of the papers (only on the date communicated by the secretariat).
• The professors may propose to the jury to oppose the registration for the evaluation of the course unit for any student who has not regularly attended the course (more than 4 unjustified absences).
• In the context of the evaluation for this course unit, the use of artificial intelligence is prohibited, whether as a language assistant, exploration and ideation tool, or writing tool.

Online resources

 see Moodle

Bibliography

Uhlenberg, P. (Ed.). (2009). International handbook of population aging (Vol. 1). Springer Science & Business Media. [accessible online https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007%2F978-1-4020-8356-3]
Cruz-Saco, M. A. (2010). Intergenerational solidarity. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. [access online http://hdl.handle.net/2078/ebook:136578]

Faculty or entity

> PSAD