The extension of life expectancy has made possible the life cycle transitions we have come to associate with middle and later years. Because more and more Americans now live to see middle age, old age, and even advanced old age, these stages of life have been democratized. They have been made accessible to a broad cross-section of the population, rather than to only a select few. In conjunction with more generational independence of living arrangements, longer lifetimes have given rise to the empty nest followed by a postmarital period of solitary living. Changes in labor force participation patterns have meant that older persons today experience a relatively new life-style and life stage called retirement.
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