Abstract
Age stratification can refer to (a) the age compositon of a population, (b) features of social structure, and (c) a ‘conceptual framework’ for approaching the study of age as a feature of societies as well as individuals. The age composition of the population is produced by the piling up of cohorts (those born during the same time period) at a single point in time, creating what has often been called an age pyramid—a diagram with age categories on the vertical axis, and a sex-bifurcated population count on the horizontal axis. The relevance of age as a compositional feature of a population depends on the meaning and normative significance of age in social structure, which has varied substantially across time and across societies. At the same time, the social significance of age depends, to some extent, on the age composition of the population. In attempting to conceptualize the dynamics of age in terms of stratification, scholars have also analyzed the potentials of age as a basis for social solidarity and conflict, and have considered the relationship of age and other bases of stratification. The dynamics involved in these relationships often entail complex interactions between intracohort and intercohort patterns of inequality or other forms of differentiation.
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