Social Class in Later Life

Marvin Formosa is Senior Lecturer in Social Gerontology at the University of Malta. He has extensive research experience in critical gerontology and is on the editorial board of the 'International Journal of Education and Ageing'. Paul Higgs is Professor of the Sociology of Ageing at University College London. He has published widely on the changing nature of later life and is a co-editor of the journal 'Social Theory and Health'. Paul is also a fellow of both the Academy of Social Sciences and the Gerontological Society of America.

"Anyone interested in social gerontology will want this short edited volume on their bookshelves - for the references and for the substantive content of the chapters." Sociology of Health & Fitness "This eloquent, thought-provoking collection will be essential reading for scholars of ageing and all with an interest in policy linked to ageing." Professor Sara Arber, Centre for Research on Ageing and Gender (CRAG), University of Surrey "A much-needed collection on social class and older age which looks critically at the constraints placed on older people and the emerging cultures of later life." Journal of Social Policy "A most welcome collection that provides a much-needed and up-to-date orientation on the open frontiers of class across the life course." Martin Kohli, European University Institute and Bremen International Graduate School of Social Sciences "This fascinating edited volume brings together top-notch scholars who each cast a unique lens on a rarely studied topic. A must-read for students of social gerontology, stratification, and inequalities." Professor Deborah Carr, Chair, Department of Sociology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ "An exciting collection which successfully sets out to re-invigorate the consideration of class in gerontology. The editors have done a fantastic job of bringing the diverse positions adopted by the contributors into dialogue with each other." Professor James Nazroo, Sociology and CCSR, University of Manchester

• Introduction ~ Marvin Formosa and Paul Higgs; Social class structures and social mobility: the background context ~ Wendy Bottero; Ageing and class in a globalised world ~ Chris Phillipson; Measuring social class in later life ~ Alexandra Lopes; Social class, age and identity in later life ~ Martin Hyde and Ian Rees Jones Class, pensions and old-age security ~ Elizangela Storelli and John Williamson; Class and health inequalities in later life ~ Ian Rees Jones and Paul Higgs; Class, care and caring ~ Christina Victor; Social work, class and later life ~ Trish Hafford-Letchfield; The changing significance of social class in later life ~ Marvin Formosa and Paul Higgs.