Skip to main content

The Life Course

This video presents the same text shown beside it, spoken and on screen. It adds nothing the text does not say.

State

The life course is the socially defined sequence of stages a person passes through, with each transition carrying new roles and expectations.

Show

Adolescence, working life, and retirement are social categories, and their boundaries differ by society.

Watch for

The stages are socially constructed, and biology sets fewer of them than it appears.