Social Roles Flashcards
Ages 18 to 25 is often called
emerging adulthood
What does emerging adulthood mean?
many left the dependency of childhood but not yet assumed responsibilities of adulthood
Why is this an important transition point?
new experiences, knowledge and skills. Ex: moving away from home to university
What are 4 trends that have emerged for young adults in the 20th century? (4)
o Remain in parental home longer and more likely to return
o Financially independent more gradually and later
o Take longer to settle into occupational tracks
o More likely to have extended and part-time educational careers
What are 3 ways young adults are delaying their development of independence?
o Much later marriages
o Later family formation
o Increasing proportion remain childless
Historically, ethnic group, family SES and gender has differed the …
experience of becoming an adult
Lower SES and rural residents tend to
complete these transitions earlier
Why might Lower SES and rural residents complete these transitions earlier? (2)
lower SES may not have the financial ability to going to university,
rural residents may have more job opportunities that might not require a degree
Why might women make these transitions sooner than men?
Their biological clock
What are 4 typical markers of entry into adulthood?
o Stable residence (outside the parental home)
o School completion
o Career selection
o Marriage/long-time partner
What are 4 subjective senses of attaining adulthood?
o Accepting responsibility
o Making independent decision
o Financially independent
o Becoming a parent
What did Cohen’s study find about the number in school and the number of full/part time workers?
There is a general decrease in those in school as people age and there is a swap from part time to full time work around the age of 19
What does SES differences have on likelihood of being in school?
Higher SES are twice as likely to be in school
Those with low SES are entering the important milestone a lot
younger than those with high SES
Looking at projection graphs, at age 17 most are in school but…
it doesn’t take long for those groups to separate and those with low SES are finishing school much earlier
Women live in their own residents separate from their families …
earlier than men. Might be due to the burden of caring for children falling on women and that women tend to marry older men
Give the order of financial independence highest to lowest
Highest independence is men from with low SES, then men & women from high SES and then women with low SES
Why might women from low SES reach financial independence the slowest?
Pay equity, childcare, taking time off to have kids
Explain the trends in terms of finding a long term partner?
Women from low SES are getting married quickest, followed by those women who are high SES, then men from either
Explain the trends for having children?
Low SES women have children much earlier than anyone, women from high SES are behaving the same as men in low SES, men with high SES are the latest
Give 4 ways the role of spouse is changing
o Increasing age at first marriage
o Decreasing marriage rate
o Increasing cohabitation rate
o % of married women has been dropping over 40 years
What did the national longitudinal mortality study find about whether marriage is good for you ? (3)
- Significant increase in relative risk (RR) of mortality for non-married groups
- Older had smaller RR than younger
- The role/benefits of marriage are more profound when you’re younger - No difference between men & women who were widowed or never married
Explain the theoretical account of marital self-selection
healthier people get married and stay married, whereas less healthy people either do not marry or are more likely to become separated, divorced or widowed BUT doesn’t really make sense though because lower income countries have people getting married younger and have more kids
Explain the theoretical account of marital protection
married people have more advantages in terms of economic resources, social and psychological support, and support for healthy lifestyles
- Encourage you to eat better, exercise or go see a doctor if you’re acting different