Date: 2024-12-26 Page is: DBtxt003.php txt00023378
SOCIETY
EXPECTATION OF LIFE
TPB OPINION: Massive progress in the last 200 years, but could be a lot better
EXPECTATION OF LIFE
TPB OPINION: Massive progress in the last 200 years, but could be a lot better
Original article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_expectancy
Peter Burgess COMMENTARY
Peter Burgess
TPB OPINION: Massive progress in the last 200 years, but could be a lot better
In 1900 expectation of life was only 49 in the United States. According to Wikipedia, in 1900,
'the average family in the USA had an annual income of $3,000 (in today's dollars). The family had no indoor plumbing, no phone, and no car. About half of all American children lived in poverty. Most teens did not attend school; instead, they labored in factories or fields.'By 1980 in the United States, expectation of life had risen to almost 74 years old. By 2000, expectation of life had become ??? and in 2020 ???.
The 1970s were a tumultuous time. In some ways, the decade was a continuation of the 1960s. Women, African Americans, Native Americans, gays and lesbians and other marginalized people continued their fight for equality, and many Americans joined the protest against the ongoing war in Vietnam.
- The 1960s was a decade when hundreds of thousands of ordinary Americans gave new life to the nation's democratic ideals. African Americans used sit-ins, freedom rides, and protest marches to fight segregation, poverty, and unemployment. Feminists demanded equal job opportunities and an end to sexual discrimination.
During the 1950s, a sense of uniformity pervaded American society. Conformity was common, as young and old alike followed group norms rather than striking out on their own. Though men and women had been forced into new employment patterns during World War II, once the war was over, traditional roles were reaffirmed.life expectancy grew from 66.5 years for men and 71.8 years for women in 1950 to 79.3 years for men and 83.8 years for women in 2007.
