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examBoard: Cambridge
examType: IGCSE
lessonTitle: Life chances affected by age - health, housing, life expectancy
Social stratification refers to the way society is divided into different layers or strata based on factors like wealth, power and status. Think of it like a layer cake – some people are at the top with more advantages, while others are at the bottom with fewer resources and opportunities.
Key Definitions:
Age is often overlooked as a factor in social inequality, but it significantly shapes our life experiences. Unlike other factors such as class or ethnicity, age is unique because everyone (if they live long enough) will experience different age categories. However, the opportunities and challenges each age group faces are not distributed equally across society.
While biological ageing is universal, how we view and treat different age groups is socially constructed. The expectations, roles and treatment of young people and the elderly vary across cultures and historical periods. In the UK, both young people and older adults often face stereotyping and discrimination that affects their life chances.
Health is one of the most significant areas where age-based stratification becomes evident. Access to healthcare, quality of treatment and health outcomes vary dramatically across age groups.
Different age groups face unique health challenges that are often compounded by other social factors:
Young people from lower-income families are more likely to experience poor nutrition, limited access to preventive healthcare and higher rates of mental health issues. In the UK, children from the most deprived areas are nearly twice as likely to be obese compared to those from the least deprived areas.
Middle-aged adults face increasing health disparities based on occupation, income and location. Those in manual labour jobs often experience more workplace injuries and chronic conditions. Stress-related illnesses are more common among those facing economic insecurity.
Elderly individuals often face healthcare rationing, longer waiting times and assumptions about quality of life that affect treatment decisions. Those without family support or financial resources may struggle to access appropriate care, leading to poorer outcomes.
The 2010 Marmot Review (updated in 2020) found that health inequalities in the UK have widened over the past decade. The review showed that people in more deprived areas spend more of their shorter lives in poor health. For example, men in the most deprived areas live 9.5 years less than those in the least deprived areas, while for women, the gap is 7.7 years. These inequalities begin in childhood and accumulate throughout life, showing how age interacts with other social factors to create health disparities.
Housing represents another critical area where age significantly affects life chances. Access to safe, affordable and appropriate housing varies dramatically across age groups in the UK.
Different age groups face distinct housing challenges that impact their overall wellbeing:
Young adults today face unprecedented housing challenges. Rising house prices, stagnant wages and job insecurity have created a "generation rent" who struggle to get on the property ladder. The average age of first-time buyers has risen to 34 in the UK, compared to 26 in the 1990s. This delay in homeownership has long-term implications for wealth accumulation and security in later life.
Young people are also more likely to live in poor-quality housing with issues like damp, overcrowding and high energy costs. This directly impacts their health, educational outcomes and employment prospects.
For older adults, housing challenges often revolve around suitability and affordability. Many live in homes that become increasingly unsuitable as mobility decreases, with features like stairs becoming obstacles. The cost of heating larger, older homes can lead to fuel poverty, where older people must choose between heating and eating.
While some older adults benefit from having paid off mortgages and rising property values, others (particularly renters) face housing insecurity in retirement. Those in social housing or private rentals may struggle with rising costs on fixed incomes and appropriate sheltered accommodation can be scarce or prohibitively expensive.
Research by the Resolution Foundation found that millennials (born 1981-2000) will spend an average of £44,000 more on rent by the time they reach 30 compared to baby boomers (born 1946-1965). At the same time, older homeowners have generally benefited from rising house prices, increasing their wealth substantially. This creates an intergenerational divide where housing wealth is concentrated among older generations, while younger people face greater housing insecurity and costs.
Life expectancy how long people can expect to live is perhaps the most stark indicator of how age intersects with social stratification. In the UK, significant differences in life expectancy exist based on socioeconomic status, location, gender and ethnicity.
Life expectancy follows what sociologists call a "social gradient" the higher your social position, the longer you're likely to live:
Life expectancy varies dramatically by location in the UK. For example, men in Blackpool can expect to live 74.5 years, while men in Westminster can expect to live 84.7 years a decade-long difference. These geographic disparities reflect underlying socioeconomic inequalities.
Even more concerning is the gap in healthy life expectancy the years spent in good health. People in deprived areas not only die younger but spend more of their shorter lives in poor health. The gap in healthy life expectancy between the most and least deprived areas is around 19 years.
Sociologists use the concept of "cumulative disadvantage" to explain how inequalities compound over the life course. Early disadvantages in childhood health, education and housing create a cascade of effects that impact life expectancy. This explains why addressing inequality requires interventions at all life stages.
The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted and exacerbated existing age-based inequalities. While older adults faced higher mortality rates, the social and economic impacts disproportionately affected younger generations. School closures disrupted education, job losses hit younger workers hardest and housing insecurity increased. At the same time, older adults faced isolation, healthcare rationing concerns and digital exclusion. The pandemic demonstrated how age interacts with other social factors to create complex patterns of advantage and disadvantage.
Understanding how age affects life chances is crucial for developing effective policies to address social inequality. Sociologists argue that interventions must consider the entire life course rather than focusing on single age groups in isolation.
Effective policies to address age-based stratification include:
Rather than viewing age groups as competing for resources, sociologists emphasize the importance of intergenerational solidarity the recognition that all age groups have valid needs and that society benefits when these needs are met. This approach rejects "generational warfare" narratives and focuses on creating systems that support people throughout the life course.
Age is a fundamental dimension of social stratification that shapes life chances in profound ways. From health outcomes to housing opportunities to life expectancy itself, age interacts with other social factors to create complex patterns of advantage and disadvantage. Understanding these patterns is essential for developing policies and practices that promote greater equality across the life course.
As you continue your sociology studies, consider how age intersects with other dimensions of stratification like class, gender and ethnicity to create unique experiences of privilege and disadvantage. Remember that unlike many other social categories, age is something we all experience making it both a universal and deeply personal aspect of social life.
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