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Chronological Age
This refers to the amount of time in years that someone has been alive. This is used for mainly legal purposes.
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Biological Age
This is linked to chronological age, as people for instance experience grey hair later in life. However, it varies a lot when this happens, as some people can be very old and get grey hair while others can be very youing.
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Social Age
This is interested in the way that age is seen in society, for instance a 70-year-old is not expected to play with children's toys.
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In the Past
The definition of a child has varied over time. For example, in the Middle Ages, children were considered "miniature adults" from the age of 7 and were expected to work.
In the 19th century, child labour was the norm among the working class. |
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In Other Cultures
Many societies consider childhood ending after a specific rite of passage rather than an age. This may be an elaborate ritual in some parts of the world.
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Life Expectancy
There are more adults and older people than there used to be. This may be because of:
- Better healthcare - Better access to healthcare - Better general health knowledge In the future, it is expected that there will be many more older people. |
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Ageism
In Britain, getting old is often seen as being a negative thing, or something to be avoided.
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Teenagers
This is a recent development, only becoming recognized as a distinct subculture until the 1950s or so.
This may be due to: - Affluence. With a multitude of jobs and a lot of disposable income, the youth could spend their wages on leisure. - New Industries. New things developed to encourage the youth to spend money, such as pop music, rock and roll and discos. - Education. Compulsory education meant that more young people spent more time with people their own age. |
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Youth Culture
The development of youth culture into subcultures such as Mods, Rockers, Skinheads and Punks led to a generation gap developing.
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Cheatography n. The art of mapping complex subjects into clear, instantly navigable reference guides.
