Age Groups in American Society and the Rise of the Young-Old

The age distributions of industrialized societies are rapidly changing, thereby altering the traditional relations between age groups. Some observers think ageism is increas ing in the United States; others, that it is decreasing. In either case, stereotypes of old age are now changing with the rise of the young—old—that is, the age group 55 to 75, who con stitute 15 percent of the population—who are relatively healthy, relatively affluent, relatively free from traditional responsibilities of work and family and who are increasingly well educated and politically active. This group will develop a variety of new needs with regard to meaningful use of time and for maximizing the opportunities for both self-en hancement and community participation. The young-old have enormous potential as agents of social change in creating an age-irrelevant society and in thus improving the relations be tween age groups.