Sociology Now, Census Update

378 CHAPTER 11AGE: FROM YOUNG TO OLD

KeyTerms

Adolescence (p. 349)
Age cohort (p. 348)
Age norms (p. 349)
Ageism (p. 363)
Baby boomers (p. 367)
Chronological age (p. 348)

Functional age (p. 348)

Generation Y (p. 369)

Generation X (p. 368)

Gerontology (p. 348)

Graying of America (p. 347)

Life expectancy (p. 349)

Life span (p. 349)

Retirement (p. 365)

Sandwich generation (p. 356)

Social security (p. 364)

Twixters (p. 353)

11.1 Teen Sex

This is actual survey data from the General Social Survey, 2004.

For those in their early teens, 14 to 16 years old, sex before marriage is:

always wrong according to 70 percent of all respondents in 2004. Women were

more likely than men to report thinking it was always wrong. Another 17 percent

of respondents thought it was almost always wrong. Ten percent thought it was

sometimes wrong, and almost 4 percent thought it was not wrong at all. Middle-

class respondents seemed to be more conservative in their views on teen sex, while

upper-class respondents seemed to be the most liberal.

CRITICAL THINKING|DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. Why do you think women are more conservative in their views toward teen sex than men?


2. How do you explain the social class differences in responses about attitudes toward teen sex?

11.2 Adult Children and Older Parents: The Sandwich Generation

This is actual survey data from the General Social Survey, 2004.

As you know, many older people share a home with their grown children. Do

you think this is generally a good idea or a bad idea? According to 2004 GSS

survey results, almost half of respondents thought it was a good idea, and almost

half thought it was a bad idea. About one-fifth said it depends. There was very lit-

tle difference among responses when separated by class or gender, but there was

significant disparity when separated by race. White respondents were least likely to

think it was a good idea and most likely to think it was a bad idea. About half of

Black respondents thought it was a good idea. The category of “other” had the

highest percentage of respondents thinking it was a good idea.

What

does

America

think

?