Identity and age
Age is often seen as a significant element of an individual’s identity. While we measure age in a universal and objective way, age categories are also generally considered to be socially constructed. There is no formal agreement about what constitutes infancy, childhood, adolescence, middle age or old age or any of the age categories in between. While law plays some part in this (there is often an age under which someone is not considered legally to be an adult, or after which they will start receiving a state pension) this is something that changes between countries and over time. Indeed, the age of adult responsibility varies in the UK today because there are different ages for driving, drinking alcohol, getting married, etc. To extend your knowledge about age as a social construct, look at resources from the Families and Households topic about childhood