An Overview of Aging and Existing Cultural Differences

An Overview of Aging and Existing Cultural Differences

Society predetermines a specific life course for each person of their community. Missing any stage of this course is detrimental to the development of the human life. But not all societies have these stages of life; ergo different cultures define stages differently.

The stages of the life course are childhood, adolescence, adulthood, young adulthood and middle adulthood, old age and death. Society thinks of childhood as the first twelve years of life. In most cultures it is known as the time of autonomy from the weight of the grown-up world. But in other societies, such as Taiwan and Indonesia, childhood is seen as another occasion to send someone to work. The children do not have a normal childhood life of playing house and Barbie’s; instead they are in factories making shoes for approximately fifty cents an hour. In our society, ‘our concept of childhood is grounded in significant biological differences that set the young from the old’ (Macionis & Gerber, 2002).

The next stage of the life course is adolescence. This is the time where kids are in between childhood and adulthood. The preteen and teenage years comprise the stage of life when young people establish some independence and learn specialized skills required for adulthood (Macionis & Gerber, 2002). Adolescence is related with social and emotional confusion; young people have conflicts with their parents, and try to develop their own sense of identity. Adolescence is a product of culture. A study that was done in the 1920’s by Margaret Mead on the Samoan Islands shows that there was little stress among teenagers; their children appeared to move easily into adult standing. Our society, however, defines childhood and adulthood more in opposing terms, making transition between the two stages of life more difficult (Macionis & Gerber, 2002). The experience of adolescence also varies according to social standing and background.

Following adolescence comes adulthood which is made up of young adulthood and middle adulthood. ‘Adulthood is the period during which most of life’s accomplishments typically occur, including pursuing careers and raising families’ (Macionis & Gerber, 2002). Young adulthood goes from age twenty to about age forty. This is generally a time of engaging in many goals set earlier in life. Middle adulthood goes from age forty to about age sixty. This is a time when people reflect on what they have been able to accomplish, perhaps with great satisfaction or with the realization that many of the dreams of their youth will never come true. The experiences those go through during adulthood are different from culture to culture. In most societies it is considered common for young adults to break free of parents and learn to manage for themselves a host of day-to-day responsibilities. ‘However, it is common in countries like Japan to find extended families with up to three generations living together’ (AFS, 2000). Also in many societies death does not usually occur during adulthood, but rather during old age. ‘Though in countries like Zimbabwe and Malawi individuals do not get to live a long adulthood since the life expectancy is thirty-eight years’ (Rosenberg, 2000).

Old age is the last stage of life itself, beginning in about the mid-sixties. This final phase of the life course differs in an important way from the earlier stages. It is a time when you leave roles that provided both satisfaction and social identity. Once again those in this stage of life, experience old age differently from culture to culture. Old age is normally a time for retirement. ‘Elderly men in Japan however, are more likely than their counterparts in North America to remain in the labor force, and in many Japanese corporations, the oldest employees enjoy the greatest respect’ (Macionis & Gerber, 2002). The percentage of the Japanese population that consists of elderly people is the highest in the world and it continues to grow. ‘This is why there are more problems concerning elderly welfare in Japan than in other societies such as Canada. Their medical treatment system, taxation system, and social security are not set up properly for the aging individuals in Japan’ (Masud, 1999).

Death is something, that if not caused by disease or accident, it occurs during the end of old age. For most cultures such as Canada the average life span is seventy-seven years. However, as mentioned above some cultures, such as Zimbabwe, have a life span of only thirty-eight years so they experience death at a sooner time than others. ‘Today most cultures have been viewing death more openly, and the trend is to view dying as preferable to painful or prolonged suffering in hospitals or at home’ (Macionis & Gerber, 2002). Therefore these