Portrayal of the elderly

Modernization theory and the loss of status among the elderly• Transition from traditional, agrarian

societies to modern, industrial societies

• Improved healthcare leads to larger number of elderly, institutionalized retirement

• Technological advances lead to new jobs, need for cutting-edge skills rather than job experience

• Urbanization leads to geographic movement and breakup of extended families

• Implementation of public education replaces oral tradition favoring elderly with written word and institutionalized knowledge

Signorielli:

• Age was measured in two separate ways: (1) an estimate of each character's

• chronological age, and (2) a measure of social age which categorized age from the perspective of stages in the life cycle

Social Age by Gender and RacePrimetime, 1993-2002

Source: Signorielli

Source: Cuddy & Fiske

Male and Female Primetime Representation by Age

Male and Female Primetime Representation by Age

% of Characters Playing Leadership Roles

% of Characters With Some Occupational Power Over Others

% of Characters Seeking Goals