Perceptions of onsets of young adulthood, middle age, and old age.

Male and female undergraduates and older community volunteers were asked their opinions as to the age of onset of young man- and womanhood, middle-age man- and womanhood, and old man- and womanhood. Data indicated that older respondents generally judged onsets of both middle and old age to occur significantly later than did young respondents and that women retarded middle- and old-age onsets, compared with men respondents. Men were generally seen as reaching transition points at a somewhat later age than women. Both sex and age of perceiver, as well as sex of the perceived, are variables in the perception of onsets of middle and old age, with onset of young adulthood a relatively fixed age for all respondents. The results were not considered compatible with interpretation of sex differences in stage onsets based upon sex-related occupational-role discontinuities.