The Adult in Society Does male and female adult development process differ? Psychologist: Daniel Levinson – he and his colleagues from Yale conducted an intensive long-term study to determine the adult male development stages. * interviewed 40 men ages 35 to 45 * Focused on such issues: education, work, leisure, politics, and personal relationships 3 basic eras of adulthood: each era begins w/ a transitional period, which followed by alternating stable and transitional periods. First: Early, Second: Middle, Third: Late adulthood

Stages of Adulthood: 1. The early adult transition: * 17 – 22 * the bridge from adolescence to adulthood * the male will be leaving home and breaking away from mom and dad (college or a job) * the male will still at times receive help from their parents 2. Entering the Adult World: * 23 – 27 * there are 2 slightly contradicting objectives: 1. to explore a variety of relationships and career opportunities

2. to become a responsible member of society and to form a stable life structure * the male will create dreams of adult accomplishments 3. Age 30 Transition * * can be a very difficult time in a lot male lives: Divorce is very common and most males are making major choices in their life. 4. The Settling Down Period: * 33 – 39 * The last stage of early adulthood

* the major task for the male( making it in the adult world, and the male will ask who am I in society) * during this time the male will separate themselves from a mentor The Midlife Transition: * 40 – 44 * the bridge between early and middle adulthood * men’s dreams start to change

Adult Female Development: Levinson, suggested his findings were the same for women as it was for men during adulthood. Later on Levinson, will conduct a study on 45 women. The women were drawn from three broad categories: homemakers, college Professors, and corporate executives. * he concluded that men and women go thru the same stages of adulthood, but the differences were men and women were viewed differently in their roles and in their search for their social identity. Irene Frieze and Esther Sales: conducted their own study on women’s development into adulthood: 1. Leaving the Family 2. Entering the adult world of work and starting a family

3. Returning to the labor Force Leaving the Family: * Pretty much women start out just like men * but in some cases women will focus more on marriage than their careers Entering the Adult World: * the average age for women to get married is 25.3 and men 27.1 * women during this stage are still getting married and having child in their twenties. * 79% of women go back to work before their child reaches one * the dual role of career and motherhood can put added strain on women

Re-entering the world of work: * many women will re-enter the work world, when their children go to school. These women are only in their thirties, but some are still experiencing the stages of adulthood like they are in their twenties. * in today’s world, ¼ of all working couples, the wife earns more than the husband

The World of Work: How has the labor force in the United States changed? 1. the number of women working and the types of jobs they hold * 1970 women made up 38% of the labor force, 2007 – 46% * today women hold just of half of the professional jobs in the U.S. (Ex: engineer, lawyer, teacher, dentist, and writer) 2. the rise of minority workers as a percentage of the total labor force * Hispanics, who are the fastest growing population group among American workers

3. Americans have a higher level of education * 1940 most workers barely had a 8 th grade education, now 90% of workers 25 and older have graduated from high school * almost 1/3 of the labor force have a college degree 2. In what ways has the nature of work changed? * in % of the work force worked on farms and 45% worked in manufacturing and other jobs that required physical labor * Only about 20% of the labor force worked in jobs that primarily involved intellectual work and working with people * Today farming and manufacturing together now account for nearly 13%

* 76% of the labor force are professional jobs Ex: office work, sales, and service jobs * more companies are outsourcing their work to other countries 3. What factors contribute to job satisfaction? * Satisfaction includes: - interesting nature of their work - Salary - working hours - workplace safety conditions - relationships w/co-workers - flexibility of hours * Dissatisfaction: - high level of on-the-job stress, Retirement benefits, income

Chapter 6: The Adult in Society Section 3: The Later Years Vocabulary: 1. Gerontology – the scientific study of the processes and phenomena of aging 2. Social Gerontology – a subfield of gerontology that studies the nonphysical aspects of aging 3. Young-old – a term used to refer to people aged 65 to Middle-old – a term used to refer to people aged 75 to Old-Old – a term used to refer to people aged 85 to older 6. Alzheimer’s Disease – an organic condition that results in the progressive destruction of brain cells 7. Dependency – the shift from being an independent adult to being dependent on others for physical or financial assistance

Changes in Late Adulthood: - Modern medicine has let people live longer. People age 65 and older are the fastest growing segment of the world’s population. - In 1980 just over 11% of the population in the U.S. was 65 or older. Increased to more than 12% of the population was 65 and older in By 2030 people 65 or older will make up over 20% of the population. Social Gerontology: the study of the nonphysical aspects of the aging process. 1. Young-Old: 65 to 74, 6.4% of the population Major concerns: Adjustments to retirement Maintaining social networks Pursuing new opportunities Positive mental health

2. Middle-Old: 75 to 84, 4.3% of the population Major Concerns: Physical health Mental functioning Dependency Death issues 3. Old-Old: 85 years and older Major Concerns: Physical health Mental functioning Dependency Death issues Adjustment to Retirement: - In American society we tend to identify individuals by their jobs. People who retire you would assume they would struggle with the adjustment. - Research indicates that work-role loss affects a much smaller number of retired people than is generally assumed.

- Factors that affect the adjustment to retirement 1. Income a. Need enough income to live comfortably b. Not enough will cause them to struggle and they will not get a chance to enjoy retirement. 2. Health a. Sickness makes adjustment to any stage of life, not just retirement, difficult. 3. Social Networks a. Try to remain linked to the larger social world to which they belong too. b. Trying to maintain the friendship with family members will help them in the long road. c. Remaining active in the community helps retirees adjust because it bolsters their sense of identity within the society Failure to adapt to retirement can have negative consequences. Suicide rates are higher among people over the age of 65

Physical and Mental Functioning: - As individuals get older their bodies begin to slow down. Body cells will begin to die, and the individual’s muscles and tissues will shrink. This process causes wrinkles along with some weight loss and grey hair. - Research has been done to see how aging people’s brain works. Early test indicated their mental capacity was slowing down compared to younger people. During the research issues were discovered and instead of testing younger to older. Scientists would compare test taken by the person at a younger age. And compare the results.

Dealing with Dependency and Death: - As someone gets older, that person might have to make changes in their lives. One might be to move in with a child. 1. New roles are taken on: the child becomes the caregiver and the parent becomes dependent on that child 2. The parent can struggle to this new role in their lives. - Most elderly people are okay with the thought of death. Some factors for this thought are: 1. Elderly people are at the end of their lives 2. Many elderly people, having lived longer than they expected, feel they are living on borrowed time 3. Facing the deaths of friends and family members who are close to them in age helps prepare older Americans for their own deaths

New Opportunities: - A sense of freedom comes about from retirement. In retirement, they have the time to do many of the things they always wanted to do. Try new things and to travel. - Some elderly Americans will begin a second career. - A number of elderly Americans will volunteer to help at many places.