Learning Objectives By the end of this section, you should be able to: The combination of husband, wife, and children that 99.8 percent of people in the United States believe constitutes a family is not representative of 99.8 percent of…
Learning Objectives By the end of this section, you should be able to: Figure 14.2 If you asked a small child who is in their family, their response might depend more on their living arrangements than on their understanding of formal family…
Figure 14.1 If we see a young couple in a park, what do we assume about them? Are our assumptions based on what we see, or what we’ve experienced? (Credit: Jaroslav A. Polák/flickr) Chapter Outline 14.1 What Is Marriage? What Is a Family?…
Who Are the Elderly? Aging in Society The social study of aging uses population data and cohorts to predict social concerns related to aging populations. In the United States, the population is increasingly older (called “the graying of the United…
Learning Objectives By the end of this section, you should be able to: What roles do individual senior citizens play in your life? How do you relate to and interact with older people? What role do they play in neighborhoods…
Learning Objectives By the end of this section, you should be able to: Aging comes with many challenges. The loss of independence is one potential part of the process, as are diminished physical ability and age discrimination. The term senescence refers to…
Learning Objectives By the end of this section, you should be able to: As human beings grow older, they go through different phases or stages of life. It is helpful to understand aging in the context of these phases. A life…
Learning Objectives By the end of this section, you should be able to: Figure 13.2 Elderly people may not always conform to society’s expectations of their attitudes or their abilities. While we don’t know whether or not these marathon participants are running…
Figure 13.1 Older people, especially family members, can foster a connection between our past and present and help build our memories and identities. But they sometimes need unexpected help, which they do not always accept. (Credit: PWRDF/flickr) Chapter Outline 13.1 Who Are the…
Sex, Gender, Identity, and Expression The terms “sex” and “gender” refer to two different identifiers. Sex denotes biological characteristics differentiating males and females, while gender denotes social and cultural characteristics of masculine and feminine behavior. Sex and gender are not…