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Lecture 08 – Sources of Diversity – Age

Diversity in American Society

Learning Objectives

Students who complete this lecture have the information to complete the following

tasks:

Define age.

Distinguish chronological, functional, and subjective measures of age.

Explain and evaluate age cohorts.

Explain the intersections between age and other sources of identity.

What is age?

• Age is a measure of the amount of time a person has lived.

• Chronological age is the length of time from birth.

• Functional age is the ability and behavior of a person relative to established age norms.

• Subjective age is how young or old a person feels.

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Childhood Adolescence Adult Middle-Age Elder

“Acting Your Age”

"Immature" "Normal" "Mature"

Age Cohorts

• Age cohorts are a group of people born around the same time period from a particular population that share certain life events and experiences over their life course.

• The establishment of age cohorts based on “…certain life events and experiences…” are an indication of how social changes affect how people are perceived based on their age.

• Age cohorts become a common source of stereotypes.

Age Cohorts and Subject Age

• Chronological Age Cohorts

• “The Greatest Generation”

• Pre-1928

• “The Silent Generation”

• Born 1928-1945

• “Baby Boomers”

• Born 1946-1965

• “Generation X”

• Born 1965-1980

• “Millennials”

• Born 1981-1996

• “Generation Z”

• Born 1997-2012

Intersections with Age

Intersections with Age

• There are several intersections between age and ethnicity, nationality, and race.

• How are the young and elderly perceived in your culture?

• When can you legally participate in your nation’s politics by voting or holding office?

• What is the average life expectancy for individuals of different races?

• …

Review

• Use the following questions to assess your understanding of the information within this lecture:

• What is the difference between chronological, functional, and subjective age?

• What are age cohorts?

• In what ways does age intersect with sex, gender, and sexual orientation?

• In what ways does age intersect with race, ethnicity, and nationality?