Sociology / Unit 7 Soc 1125 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Gerontocracy
Captions available
The idea
A gerontocracy is a social structure in which power is held by a society's oldest members, common in many preindustrial societies.
In practice
Councils of elders holding formal authority over younger adults illustrate the structure directly.
Where people slip
A gerontocracy is one way power can be distributed by age; most modern societies distribute it differently.
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