This is also an area of
sociological study that considers the
social implications of
age on human
interaction. This includes the more obvious such as the effect of age on
status,
economic shifts along the lifespan, and degree of active
participation in parts of
society that are considered mainstream. I've seen a lot of
work with the
elderly rejoining the work force lately with a focus on the
socialization aspects instead of the usual
economic analysis.
Another important part of this (inter)discipline is the evaluation of social policy in regards to age. This encompasses pension/retirement, healthcare, and the hotly debated housing issue. This is important because the elderly (usually defined in research as 65 or older depending on which country the study took place in) are increasingly dependent on social services. This kind of analysis is necessary given the hysterical need (in the United States anyway) to blame welfare budget problems on single parents and fraud. The expansion of research in gerontology helps clear up some of these statistical fallacies.