社會建構學派與年齡主義

在社會工作理論和實踐方面，「醫療生物學」的老年學觀點也對年齡歧視影響至深，最近一項定性研究顯示，從事老人服務的社工，都普遍把老人視作「與別不同」的群體，而其特徵是「衰退」(deterioration)和失落 (loss) (蔡建誠，1998)； 同時，社工對老人的論述總的來說都是和老人的負面形象有關。其實，年齡歧視在醫療服務的提供上也有明顯的烙印。根據蔡建誠的研究顯示，醫生只會從單一生理觀點理解老年病人，完全沒有考慮其他社會因素對老人依賴的影響；一些醫生更以為醫療資源(包括醫生的時間)昂貴，用在老人身上不及用於較年輕的病人身上有價值。雖然以上的發現只從一個較小規模的定性研究得出，未必代表所有醫療人員的態度和實踐，但也給社會服務工作者一個提醒，以免成為強化年齡歧視的機制 。        (趙維生，1999，第353頁)

 

[...] 社會建構學派 (The Social Construction Model) 十分否定下列對老人家不公平的社會現象及政策：

1. 強迫性的退休年歲；
2. 不完善全面推行之強制性退休金制度；
3. 不公平之年齡歧視政策，尤以對老人家所定之非正式的「年齡禁忌」，一些常見的描繪例如「老人是社會的負擔」，「老年對社會無用」、「衰老」、「老弱傷殘」等負面說法 (趙維生，1998； Choi, 1998 )
4. 否定老人再就業的機會[...]。     ( 顏文雄及黃威廉，1998，第14 -15頁)

參考書目：

顏文雄及黃威廉 (1998)。「老人就業年齡及性別歧視問題」。載《政策透視學報》，第四期，1998年10月。香港：政策透視出版。

趙維生 (1999)。〈年齡主義與社會政策〉，載於李建正、趙維生、梁麗清及陳錦華編，《新社會政策》，第343 至 356頁。香港中文大學出版社出版。 



Choi, F. (蔡建誠) (1998). 'Old People' in the Talk of Helping Professionals in Hong Kong. Unpublished MPhil Thesis. Hong Kong Baptist University.

This study explores the professional construction of old age in Hong Kong. Indepth interviews were conducted with a group of helping professionals composed of six medical practitioners and six social workers. Open-ended, unstructured questions related to professional practice were asked to each of them. Discourse analyses are carried out to examine the images of 'old age' and the identity implications for older people in the talk of different professionals. It is found that the category 'old people' in their talk refers to a special and problematic group of people which is different and separable. Two recurrent ways of talking about age are identified from the spoken material of the professionals. The theme of the medical practitioners represents 'old age' in terms of medical problems. Accordingly, sickness is the recurrent feature of the few subject positions available for older people who are expected to have poor health conditions. The theme of the social workers associates 'old age' with the experience of loss. Accordingly, passive acceptance is the recurrent feature of the few strategies advocated for older people who are expected to adjust to life's changes (Choi, 1998: i).