age norm

Definition of Age Norm

(noun) Culturally informed, formal and informal rules (norms), that determine appropriate ways of ‘being’ and ‘doing’ at a particular age.

Examples of Age Norm

• In the United States, an 18-year old wearing a diaper and using a pacifier in public would break an informal age norm.
• A 10-year old operating a bulldozer on a construction site would break a formal age norm.

Age Norm Pronunciation

Pronunciation Usage Guide

Syllabification: age norm

Audio Pronunciation

International Phonetic Alphabet

• American English – /eɪʤ nɔrm/
• British English – /eɪʤ nɔːm/

Usage Notes

• Plural: age norms
• Age norms are either formal or informal.
• Age norms are similar for an age cohort in a particular population.
• A crime that is based primarily on the age of the offender is a status offense, for example, underage drinking.
• Age norms are learned through socialization and regulated by sanctions that are either positive and negative, or formal and informal.
• A type of norm.

Additional Information

• Word origin of “age” and “norm” – Online Etymology Dictionary: etymonline.com

Related Terms

• ageism
• cohort study
• discrimination
• family life cycle
• norm
• status offense

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Works Consulted

The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language. 5th ed. 2011. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Collins English Dictionary: Complete and Unabridged. 6th ed. 2003. Glasgow, Scotland: Collins.

Hughes, Michael, and Carolyn J. Kroehler. 2011. Sociology: The Core. 10th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Kimmel, Michael S., and Amy Aronson. 2012. Sociology Now. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Macmillan. (N.d.) Macmillan Dictionary. (https://www.macmillandictionary.com/).

Scott, John, and Gordon Marshall. 2005. A Dictionary of Sociology. New York: Oxford University Press.

Cite the Definition of Age Norm

ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “age norm.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved April 25, 2024 (https://sociologydictionary.org/age-norm/).

APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)

age norm. (2013). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/age-norm/

Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “age norm.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed April 25, 2024. https://sociologydictionary.org/age-norm/.

MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)

“age norm.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2013. Web. 25 Apr. 2024. <https://sociologydictionary.org/age-norm/>.