What is life expectancy?Describe how it varies with sex, race–ethnicity, and social class
What will be an ideal response?
Life expectancy is the average number of years a person can expect to live. Historically and currently, women live longer than men. Across the three largest racial-ethnic groups, women have higher life expectancy rates than men, and Latinos have the longest lifespans. Women begin to outnumber men at about age 35, but the gender gap widens considerably at age 70. Between 2003 and 2008, the life expectancy gap between whites and blacks narrowed by about two years partly because the health of blacks improved and, for both groups, fewer deaths were due to heart disease, cancer, and HIV/AIDS.
The primary reason for the smaller gap, however, was a surge of white deaths (for both sexes) from overdoses of powerful prescription medications such as Oxycontin and Vicodin and accidental poisoning due to illicit drugs (e.g., opium, heroin, cocaine).
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Family arrangements in the United States are closely related to economic development
a. true b. false
Experts usually agree about what the social problems are and the efforts that should be made to reduce or eliminate them
Indicate whether this statement is true or false.
The normalization of a dominant ethnic culture promotes the belief that those in the dominant ethnicity are
a. deliberately hiding their ethnicity. b. cultureless. c. seeking special treatment. d. politically incorrect.
Sociologist John Weeks believes that there are several reasons for the changing composition of the American household. Which of the following is NOT one of the reasons Weeks gives?
A. Increased life expectancy means 60 or even 70 years with the same person, increasing likelihood of marriages ending in divorce or widowhood. B. Increased life expectancy reduces the pressure to marry and have children early. C. Increased life expectancy enables people to attend college to earn advanced degrees, reducing the financial need for staying in an unfulfilling marriage. D. All of these factors are mentioned by Weeks.