Aging, Time And The Social Value Of The Elderly

The main task of this dissertation is aiming at the "Problematize" phenomenon in the research of aging and the social value of elderly. Based on the pectination and introspection of chinese and foreign literature and studies, we found these studies exist problematize characteristics, and this characteristics is focused onto a stereotype of "older people has less social activity". We focused on the point of view of the elderly always live alone in western research, using the data from China and 14 countries in Europe, on the basis of comparative analysis, we try to recoustruct the true face of the social activities of Chinese elderly, and have found the paradox in the traditional interpretation. Based on this paradox and the difference between China and Europe, we use the "time" as an new explanatory variable, use the free time to explain why Chinese elderly have more social activities. Finally, we summary and theoretically enhance the characteristics of the elderly’s life, and conclude two concepts, "alternative action" and "river effect", which use to explain Chinese elderly’behavior and their social effect. On on hand, to supplement and improve the research on explaining and understanding chinese aging phenomena; the other hand, to build the social value of Chinese elderly population and to correct the bias understanding on elderly people.Chapter Ⅰ, Asking the Problem. The statistical analysis based on the literature and text analysis, the research on aging always treated aging as a "problem". In these studies, wheter macro or micro, to promote the elderly research and developjment,most "problem-driven" rather than "theory-driven". After 20th century, with most countries of the world have become or close to the "aged society", Scholars focus on ageing also began to appear the tendency of " Problematize ",this tendency not only enhance the inertia in academic research by" Self-fulfilling prophecy",but also gave birth to the mass media and policy makers worry and tension. In many explanation on aging, the scholars always describe elderly have less social activities and like to stay at home lonely, and they believe this is the root of the problem of aging phenomenon. From the micro-level, scholars focus on elderly’s weakness and their depression. From the macro-level, they focus on elderly’negative social effects, like the declining in the labor force participation rate, and reduction of the demographic dividend, tension of the medical security system, as well as excessive burden to the younger generation. So, most discussion around how to let them to participate in social activities, apparently its theoretical recognize that the elderly are the group of people away from social activities.Chapter Ⅱ, The Analysis of Reality Situation. Starting from the question, this dissertation arues that we should not only pay attention to the "Problem" part in aging phenomenon, but also regard aging phenomenon as a "Question". Therefore, starting from the essence of aging phenomenon, we use the time, the natureal measured tools for socio-economic activities, as the unit of analysis. Based on the Time Use Survey data from 14 countries, China, Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, Estonia, Spain, France, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Snow Slovenia, Finland, the United Kingdom and Norway. We compare and analyze the the different of time spending between China and Europe, and found the European data show the lives of elderly is showing "solitude" state, but in China, however, less time spent by the young groups in social activities, on the contrary, the elderly spent more time on social activities, showing more willing to contact with the community and society.Chapter Ⅲ, New Research Perspective. This part is talking about why the elderly have more social activities than young people? In the traditional perspective, the scholar talk about educational capital, economic capital, social status as the precondition of social activity. But we found the elderly lack of these capital, but they still have more social activities. Turn to another perspective, we found free time can be a new breakthrough to think about this paradox. Based on the analysis of the free time stock in different ages, we consider that the free time is an important reason for rapid increase of Chinese elderly social activities in them later years. Based on this assumption, we used the mediator effect model to test this hypothesis, and found that the age can affected Chinese residents’social activities increase by the free time, and in European, the free time has suppressor effect to reduce the decline of social activities by age. Therefore, we have reason to believe that the free time is an important factor why the improvement of the social activities caused by the age.Chapter IV,The Explanation of the Reason. This part foucs on why the increasing of the free time will inevitably lead to the elderly spend more time in social acitvities? In the later life, people will have a lot of free time, this time not only become a kind of resource, but also a problem for daily life when the time can not spend. So they will find the way of how to spend this time. The data display that the time will transfor from the market area to the family area when the people exit from the workplace. With the needs of families saturated, their the time can not spend become more again. So their time transfor from family area to the social area.Chapter V, The social Effects of the Elderly. In a historical perspective, from the early human society to the industrialized society, with the development of social and economic, the elderly person have more and more free time, and the youth have more and more labor time and less free time. Therefore, based on this background, following the results of the above analysis, since the increase in free time cause older people’s social activities increased, the characteristics of the elderly would have a social effect. On the one hand, based on ratioanl choice and the calculation of the cost of time,the young people will exit from the social affairs, and them always make over social affairs to the elderly, so the older person become the main members of various social affairs. The other hand, the elderly’s free time make them "nosy" behavior characteristics in their daily life, and this behavior produce a similar effect of social participation.Chapter VI,The Theory and Concept Summarying. Based on above analysis the process of the elderly from the market to the family,then to the society, this part try to summed up four characteristics of this process, on the basis of those feature, the elderly’s social activities can be understood as an "alternative behavior". Next, to borrow analog conceptual scheme, we present "river effect" to explain the social effect under the elderly’s alternative action. And this part try to use these concepts to apply to the topic that vulnerable groups how to impact on sociey, just to enhance theoretical and practical value of this study.Chapter VII, Summary and Reflection. Back to the aging phenomenon, this dissertation argues that when the proportion of the elderly population in society began to increase, which means that the proportion of the population is willing to spend a lot of time to participate in social activities and social participation in society also increased. Compare to the Western countries, the degree of Chinese residents in social participation is lower, however, social development can not be separated from this part of increasing. Under the conditions of market economy, the youth exit from this part of social affairs, and the elderly entered into, that means current social and public life in the Chinese society is undertook primarily by the elderly, which constitute the Chinese elderly’s social value. Therefore, this part on the one hand, we try to dialogue with Western research, finding the social value of the elderly in China, on the other hand, we try to consider and correct the reasonableness of "Problematize" phenomenon in the research of aging.Although this dissertation emphasizes the value of the elderly in society, but this dissertation is not to deny the social problems caused by the aging phenomenon. Put all attention to the "problem" part or to the "value" part is not correct. In the present situation, scholar pay more attention to the problem part, so we should be more emphasis the elderly’s value, and this dissertation is try to rebuild the understanding of the social value of elderly, in order to balance the bias in aging research.