Our cultural presuppositions are more often rooted in our social constructions of what is natural than in biological limitations. Sociologists distinguish between sex and gender. Traditional gender roles have been influential in the socialization of children in the United States. The prevalence of homophobia gives us a sense of how important maintaining a clear line between masculinity and femininity is in our culture. Gender-role socialization occurs through the influences of parents, older siblings, the mass media, religious and educational institutions, and other adults. Not all cultures divide people into female and male in the same way.

Talcott Parsons and Robert Bales argued that families need both an instrumental leader and an expressive leader. Sociologists now contend that such separate abilities are not innate but are instead social constructs. In the United States, women have experienced a consistent pattern of inequality in the workplace, income, housework, politics, and more. This is also true around the world. The feminization of poverty has become a global phenomenon. This systematic pattern of inequality points to the existence of institutional sexism. The feminist movement has fought for equality for women.

Aging is another important aspect of socialization. Age stratification varies from culture to culture. Gerontology is the scientific study of the sociological and psychological aspects of aging and the problems of the aged. Disengagement theory suggests that society and the aging individual mutually sever many of their relationships. Disengagement theory emphasizes that passing social roles on from one generation to another ensures social stability. Activity theory suggests that those elderly people who remain active and socially involved will be best adjusted. Often seen as opposing disengagement theory, activity theory views older people's withdrawal from society as harmful to society. In this view, aging citizens will feel satisfied only when they can be useful and productive in society's terms, primarily working for wages.

Ageism refers to prejudice and discrimination against people because of their age. Critics argue that neither disengagement nor activity theory considers the impact of social structure on patterns of aging. The privileged upper class generally enjoys better health and vigor and has less likelihood of dependency in old age.

By 2010, those 65 and older are expected to grow to 13 percent of the nation's population, and this segment will continue to grow throughout the century. The graying of the United States is a phenomenon that can no longer be ignored. Older people are the group most likely to register and vote. In the 2004 presidential election, people 55 or older made up 35 percent of the total vote. The typical older person enjoys a standard of living much higher than at any point in the past; however, class differences remain evident. Social Security provides 39 percent of all income of older people in the U.S., yet about 9 percent of the nation's elderly lives below the poverty line.

People who are elderly face discrimination because they are old. In 2007, 34 percent of men and 26 percent of women aged 65 to 69 participated in the paid labor force. According to the EEOC, between 1999 and 2007, complaints of age discrimination rose more than 35 percent. Older workers can be an asset for employers. They can be retrained in new technologies, have lower rates of absenteeism, and are effective as salespersons.

Death has been a taboo topic in the United States, but that has changed somewhat in recent years. Hospice care is designed to allow for death with dignity and comfort. Bereavement practices are becoming increasingly varied and therapeutic.