Glossary for Sociology of Aging
| Age Cohort | People born at the same time and thus share similar life experiences |
| Age Effect | Difference due to chronological age or life course stage |
| Age Norm | Informal rules, which specify age-appropriate roles and behaviors |
| Age Structure | Distribution of people across various age cohorts |
| Chronological Age | The number of years a person has lived |
| Cohort | The aggregate of individuals who live at the same time |
| Cohort Effect | Difference due to the experiences or characteristics of a particular cohort |
| Defined Benefit | A defined benefit pension plan promises the participant a specific monthly benefit at retirement, calculated through a formula that considers a participants salary and years of service. These pensions are insured by the PBGC. |
| Defined Contribution | In a defined contribution plan the benefits are based on the amount contributed and are also affected by income, expenses, gains and loses. The employee is responsible for educating him/herself about options how much to save and where to invest. The risk is shifted to the employee. Stocks are not insured by PBGC or FDIC. |
| Demography | The study of basic population
processes, i.e., fertility, mortality, and migration --- Visit these interactive sites: Global Trends Quiz (PBS) --- Be a Demographer (PBS) |
| Fertility Rate | Birth rate or measure of
new birth into a population --- Visit this interactive site: Population Campaigns in China, India and Kenya (PBS) |
| Generation | Members of a family who belong to the same cohort (used as kinship term) |
| Geriatrics | Branch of medicine that concerns itself with the prevention and management of diseases associated with the aging process. |
| Gerontology | Study of the processes of aging from many disciplines, including anthropology, biology, history, sociology, psychology, political science, demography. Social Gerontology is concerned with the impact of social and sociocultural conditions and social consequences of the processes of aging, |
| Global Aging | We know that all developed countries are graying.
However, we need to understand that this is a world-wide
phenomenon.
Even
in the poorest countries, life expectancy is increasing and the absolute
number of older people is growing. It
is anticipated that by 2025, the number of older people in developing
countries will double to 850 million, i.e., to 70% of
all older people worldwide. Food for Thought: In the year 2000, around 270 million people over 60 lived in countries where the average income was less than $2 a day. (Source: HelpAge International) |
| Immigration | The movement of people across national boundaries into a new country. |
| Industrialization | Process of transforming an agricultural (farming) economy into an industrial one; in- creased # of workers in large factories, rapid population increase, and urbanization. |
| Life Course | An individual's life from birth to death as it plays itself out in social & historical contexts |
| Life Course Perspective | An approach to the study of aging that combines the study of social structure with the experience of individuals over a life time, i.e., history , society, and biography. |
Life Expectancy |
The average number of years people in a given population can expect to live; the mean age at death. Life expectancy at birth has increased more than life expectancy at 65. * Biggest gains. Childhood mortality rate was reduced largely due to immunizations against childhood diseases, improved sanitation and better nutrition. |
| Life Span | The longest number of years any member of a species has been known to survive. For humans the maximum life span is about 120 years. |
| Mannheim, Karl (1893-1947) |
b. Budapest, Hungary. sociologist. Lectured U of Heidelberg (1926-30) and Frankfurt (1930-33), Univ. of London, London School of Economics (1933-45), & professor of philosophy and sociology of education at Univ of London (1945-47). Major works: Ideology & Utopia, and Essays on the Sociology of Knowledge, which contains his path breaking essay: "On the Problem of Generations." (Robeson Library, BD175.S6) |
| Migration | The movement of people from one region to another. |
| Mortality Rate | The incidence of death in a population; death rate. |
| Norms | Rules that define behavior that is expected, required, or acceptable in particular circumstances. |
| Period Effect | The impact of a particular historical period (i.e., 1930s) on the people who lived through it. |
| Population Pyramid | A population pyramid depicts a country's population by age and sex. |
| Role Allocation | Process by which roles are assigned to individuals and the dynamics of role entry and exit. |
| Role Conflict | Occurs when two or more roles are partially or wholly incompatible. |
| Role Transition | Involves the movement into and out of various expected behaviors associated with life course stages. Major transitions are: entry into school, labor force, marriage, parenthood, and retirement. |
| Senescence | Normal declines in all organ systems, usually occurring after age 30. (The period between Birth - 30 years is usually called "Development" or "Maturation") |
| Social Assistance | Social Assistance Programs are need-based, require strict eligibility requirements and are partially funded by the Fed/State gov'ts - administered by the States (each State has levels of funding and different eligibility criteria) - Medicaid, SSI |
| Social Insurance | Social Insurance Programs are age-based entitlement programs administered by the Federal Government (Social Security and Medicare) |
| Social Role | Expected behavior associated with social status. |
| Social Security Trust Fund |
A history the OASI Trust Fund's assets can be viewed online - |
| Social Status | A person's position in the social structure. |
Please let me know if I should add other concept and definitions. Thank you.