Does Society Suffer from Gerontophobia

Does society suffer from gerontophobia? Gerontophobia is the fear of old people, old age and growing old. According to my own observations in everyday society and from the videos I watched on Growing Old in a New Age, many people have difficulty dealing with aging. I think that part of the problem is how society views aging and growing old. Furthermore within society there are many myths and realities about aging. In many people's minds the word old most likely means someone who is worn out, slow, with wrinkles and grey hair. No wonder society grows anxious about getting old. That is a reality we will all face eventually. Moreover a myth that plagues many individuals within society is that elderly people don't engage in sexual relations. That is another example that makes some people uncomfortable because according to the lectures I watched on Growing Old in a New Age our cultural society says that sex is only for sexual reproduction and sexual reproduction occurs among young people and not the elderly. Which is not true, I know for a fact because I have seen and heard in the news about women in their fifties, sixties and even in their seventies giving birth. The stories of several older women who gave birth to twins at an older age, was broadcast in the news. There was also news of a seventy year old woman who gave birth to a son in India. Even though it is rare to hear news like this it does happen once in a while. Furthermore, in my opinion I believe it is somewhat irresponsible for the elderly to have children at such an old age. Even though every child is a blessing there should be a question about their parenting skills as they age. Another question comes to mind how will they keep up with their kids as they grow, especially when they become teenagers. Assuming that the elderly parents will live long enough to see their children grow up. Recently, in the news a woman who gave birth to twins in her sixties and is now deceased and left her children behind. When this occurs, the question of who is going to take care of the kids now? Arises. Even though anyone can pass away whether they are young or old, and leave their children alone, I still believe it is still irresponsible to bare children at an old age . Moreover society has also imposed the notion of no Sexual activity occurring among the elderly through television. For example you rarely see elderly in erotic behavior on television and if it is shown on television it is portrayed in a funny manner this is societies view and attitude towards the elderly. When you see commercials or shows on television you only see young people engaging in erotic behavior; but it does not stop there, even within the family there is an attitude that it is in proper for the elderly to engage in sex when you are old. Sexual activity varies among the elderly some are active and some are not.

Furthermore even though society may have negative views on growing old not all people within society are impacted. Negative views and attitudes differ from individual to individual for example when reaching retirement some middle age people view retirement and aging as a positive outlook on life. For instance many older people look forward to retiring. Retirement for many individuals, represent a time for relaxation, and a time to spend more time with the family and it also represents a time of freedom, freedom to enjoy their hobbies or learn new ones. These are the benefits of aging. In addition, even when retired, the elderly still feel the need to do something constructive and feel that they are still useful in society. If a retired person decides to come out of retirement the person will most likely work in a profession that they identify with. For example a one woman in one of the videos named Marion Cowan, a retired teacher, in