Which term means deviating from expected age norms?

Which term means deviating from expected age norms?

• A. Age norms
• B. Gerontology
• C. Age deviance
• D. Kinship

Answer: (C)

In sociology, age norms set the expected timing for life events like schooling, work, marriage, parenting, and retirement. When someone experiences these events at a time that’s noticeably earlier or later than those expectations, we describe it as age deviance. The term directly names this departure from the usual schedule of life stages. For example, marrying in adolescence or retiring in one’s thirties would be considered age deviance in many cultures. Age norms are the standards themselves, gerontology is the study of aging, and kinship concerns family relationships, not the idea of deviating from age-based expectations.

In sociology, age norms set the expected timing for life events like schooling, work, marriage, parenting, and retirement. When someone experiences these events at a time that’s noticeably earlier or later than those expectations, we describe it as age deviance. The term directly names this departure from the usual schedule of life stages. For example, marrying in adolescence or retiring in one’s thirties would be considered age deviance in many cultures. Age norms are the standards themselves, gerontology is the study of aging, and kinship concerns family relationships, not the idea of deviating from age-based expectations.