Dictionary of Sociology by Tony Lawson & Joan Garrod

Author:Tony Lawson & Joan Garrod [Lawson, Tony & Garrod, Joan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Reference, General
ISBN: 9781136598456
Google: ibzZZxWC_vEC
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2012-11-12T20:48:45+00:00

life expectancy: the average number of years a newborn baby can be expected to live. The correct term for this is actually “expectation of life at birth,” as life expectancy can be calculated at any age (e.g. “expectation of life at 21”). In 1900, the average expectation of life at birth in the US was 47 years. American babies born in 1990 could expect to live until 75 years of age. The expectation of life in the US has been rising steadily since the 1960s, though there are still significant variations between advantaged and disadvantaged groups. The increase in longevity is largely due to improvements in nutrition, housing, and health care. The lack of such improvements in some countries leads to wide variations in life expectancy rates throughout the world. (See aging population; death rate.)

life history: an autobiographical account usually obtained by unstructured interviews and often supplemented by personal documents such as letters and photographs. Life histories can be used to obtain an account of people’s lives in the present, but also to obtain information about the past, such as from people who have lived through significant events like World War II, or mass emigration, or who represent a disappearing way of life, such as peasants in an industrializing economy. While providing very useful information that might be difficult to obtain by any other method, life histories need, of course, to be treated with caution, as they rely on people’s memories and personal interpretations of the past.

life-world: see Lebenswelt

lifestyle: see styles of life

lifestyle enhancement: associated with the idea of the leisure society, the provision of increased opportunities for individuals, usually in the area of leisure, that leads to greater enjoyment.

lineage: see descent group

lions: a term used by Machiavelli to describe those who gain and maintain power in society through bold and courageous actions. (See foxes.)

local extended family: a social grouping characterized by large numbers of the same kinship group residing in a small area. Relationships are likely to be close and personal, with many face-to-face interactions. (See dispersed extended family.)

local labor market: the supply and demand for different types of worker within a locality. Each part of the country has its own labor profile, which is shaped by the type and variety of industry that is present within an area.

local opinion leaders: those who mediate information between the mass media and their contacts, and who concentrate on local affairs and issues. They are usually prominent members of the local community, well respected and asked for their opinions on a large number of local issues. (See cosmopolitan opinion leaders.)

locality: a term for a limited geographical or social area, which is much used in sociology to describe local space. A locality may, for example, be a small town or a defined area of a city if it is being used geographically. However, it might also be used to describe a social position, such as “factory worker.” The concept is therefore a flexible one, which can unite either those in a particular geography or those dispersed geographically but bound by similar social positions.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.