life expectancy

Definition of Life Expectancy

(noun) The amount of time an individual is expected to live.

Life Expectancy Pronunciation

Pronunciation Usage Guide

Syllabification: life ex·pec·tan·cy

Audio Pronunciation

International Phonetic Alphabet

• American English – /laɪf ɪkˈspɛktənsi/
• British English – /laɪf ɪksˈpɛktənsi/

Usage Notes

• Plural: life expectancies
• Life expectancy is researched in thanatology, which is the study of death and dying.
• The act or process of aging is called senescence.

Related Quotations

• “[B]roadly defined as one’s initial starting point in life based on parental position, includes a set of cumulative nonmerit advantage for all except the poorest of the poor. These include enhanced childhood standards of living, differential access to cultural capital, differential access to social networks of power and influence, infusions of parental capital while parents are still alive, greater health and life expectancy, and the inheritance of bulk estates when parents die” (McNamee and Miller 2013:71).
• “While youth and vitality are highly valued commodities in a postindustrial society, life expectancies and prospects for good health are extended. Consequently, people can be expected to work longer if they choose. Moreover, with less emphasis on work and more on service and play, postindustrial societies may offer the elderly a vast array of meaningful social roles outside the world of work” (Thompson and Hickey 2012:339).

Additional Information

• Aging and Social Gerontology Resources – Books, Journals, and Helpful Links
• Death and Dying Research Resources – Books, Journals, and Helpful Links
• Qualitative Research Resources – Books, Journals, and Helpful Links
• Quantitative Research Resources – Books, Journals, and Helpful Links
• Word origin of “life” and “expectancy” – Online Etymology Dictionary: etymonline.com
• Davis, Kingsley. 1984. “Wives and Work: The Sex Role Revolution and its Consequences.” Population and Development Review 10(3):397–417. doi:10.2307/1973512.
• Stub, Holger Richard. 1982. The Social Consequences of Long Life. Springfield, IL: C. C. Thomas.

Related Terms

• activity theory
• aging
• continuity theory
• disengagement theory
• gerontology
• gerotranscendence
• hospice
• primary aging
• role exit
• secondary aging
• senescence

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References

McNamee, Stephen J., and Robert K. Miller, Jr. 2013. The Meritocracy Myth. 3rd ed. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.

Thompson, William E., and Joseph V. Hickey. 2012. Society in Focus: An Introduction to Sociology. 7th ed. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Works Consulted

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Cite the Definition of Life Expectancy

ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “life expectancy.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved September 17, 2024 (https://sociologydictionary.org/life-expectancy/).

APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)

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

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

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “life expectancy.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed September 17, 2024. https://sociologydictionary.org/life-expectancy/.

MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)

“life expectancy.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2013. Web. 17 Sep. 2024. <https://sociologydictionary.org/life-expectancy/>.