SOCIOL 2U06 Chapter 21: Topic 21 – Family Lives of the Middle-Aged and Elderly in Canada
30 Mar 2016
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Topic 21 family lives of the middle-aged and elderly in canada. Chapter eleven: the family lives of the middle-aged and elderly in canada. For individuals, mid-life may be thought to begin when we reach half of our average life expectancy. Median age of canadian men is 38. 6 years, and women 40. 4 years: these are both the highest ever. For families, mid-life is often determined by presumed typical life course patterns: it is often presumed that mid-life begins when the children grow up and leave home. Age is a sensitive and changing social construction: today, mid-life men and women may appear younger than they did a generation ago, with workouts, diets and cosmetics, etc. The concept of not looking one"s age, particularly for women, is a reflection of the social expectations that a particular age carries with it. People who pretend to be younger than their real age tend to add to the underestimation of mid-life.
