ABSTRACT
Age too has features associated with strength and maturity that have traditionally differentiated social roles and occupations by age. In most societies respect seems to be associated with old age and the ‘wisdom’ and authority of the elders, usually male. The younger adults had physical strength, but as this wanes, older men grow in social authority. For older women too, authority could come from age and experience, rather than current productive ability. For both men and women, it is usually presumed that the elderly and less strong would have different roles and be supported economically by the younger and stronger members of any population.
