Historical Study on the Ideas of Productive Aging : Work Ethic and Aging in Political Economy in US and Britain.

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I have intended to study on ageing and ageism in political economy.1. Ageism, like sexism and racism, has been shaped with the development of capitalist economy, which is founded on the fundamental principle such as efficiency and laissez faire market system.2. The aged, as well as women and handicapped, used to be treated as 'weaker persons' in the nation states in the West since the late 19^<th> century. They got some kinds of welfare benefits such as the Old Age Pension in Britain and Medicare Benefits in US. But they have been getting excluded and marginalized from labor market.3. Since the late 20^<th> century, population in the world, especially developed countries including Japan, is getting to graying. Many policy makers and economists in those countries have dismal perspectives of getting graying population.4. This is the background of the reverse of image on the aged from negative to positive. The aged used to be counted as the Weak, negative image. As it is 'the aging myths', said Robert Butler, gerontologist of US, it must be reversed to positive aging, especially productive aging, based on the human right to work.5. On the research of the old age people in Hirose-cho in Shimane, back country area, and Fukuyama, town area by our research project team, we got a very interesting conclusions that the old people in Hirose-cho take more productive aging idea in their everyday life than citied old people in Fukuyama.