Which concept refers to theories that emphasize social forces related to a person’s social stratum limit life choices in late adulthood because past stratification continues to shape current life?

• A. Disengagement theory
• B. Age in place
• C. NORC
• D. Stratification theories

Answer: (D)

Stratification theories examine how social inequality tied to a person’s position in the social hierarchy shapes choices and opportunities across the life course, and that influence persists into late adulthood. Because someone’s class, race, gender, education, and wealth accumulate over a lifetime, these patterns continue to constrain or enable options in later years—such as retirement timing, housing, healthcare access, and social support. In other words, past stratification keeps shaping present life decisions, so late-life opportunities are not just about individual preferences but are filtered by enduring structural forces.

Disengagement theory describes older adults withdrawing from social roles as a normal part of aging, which is a process-focused idea rather than a persistence of social inequality. Age in place and NORCs concern living arrangements and environments rather than the enduring impact of lifelong stratification on life choices.