2.3 What influences our social identity

Age and Identity 🎂

Age Groups Across Societies

Sociologists are particularly interested in how age shapes identity. Different societies divide their members into age groups in different ways, and the roles assigned to these age groups vary significantly - they are not always directly linked to biological abilities.

Modern Western Societies:

• Children spend a relatively long period becoming socialised before entering the adult world (compared to other societies)
• Older people enter a phase of retirement at a legally specified age
• Children start working alongside adults at a much earlier age in some societies
• In some societies, there is no formal retirement age - people work as long as they are physically able

Historical and Traditional Age Systems

In the past, many people did not know exactly how old they were - birth dates were not always remembered or records kept. As a result, the age group to which a person belonged was more important than their specific age (e.g., childhood, adulthood, old age).

Traditional African Societies: In some African societies (past and present traditional tribal communities), there were three main stages in men's lives:

• Children
• Warriors
• Elders

Boys of roughly the same age and maturity were initiated into adulthood in group ceremonies. During initiation:

• They learnt about group traditions and expectations/responsibilities of adults
• They might face a challenge or ritual (e.g., killing an animal in a hunt or running across the backs of cattle)
• Some societies had equivalent ceremonies for girls

Role of Older People:

• Older people were seen as a source of knowledge and experience
• They could give advice in situations younger people had no experience of (e.g., what to eat if a crop failed)
• They were valued members of the community, integrated into extended families and looked after by them
• The oldest members (elders) were often leaders, respected for their wisdom

Age-Based Rights in Industrial Societies

Industrial societies place more emphasis on age in terms of years, rather than maturity. Children become adults at a specific age (usually 18). Different rights and responsibilities are acquired at specific ages.

Table: Ages at which rights are acquired in the UK

International Comparison of Legal Ages:

Key Concepts: Generations and Cohorts 🔑

Generation - Members of the same age group, usually thought to be about 25 years apart.

Generation gap - The difference in experiences and attitudes between generations which can lead to conflict.

Age cohort - Members of an age group who share a common experience of growing up at the same point in history.

Recent Cohort Names and Birth Years: