Sociology 2180A/B Chapter 4: Broken Limits to Life Expectancy – Article Summary
10 Apr 2018
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Broken limits to life expectancy article summary. Despite the popular belief that life expectancy is approaching a limit, research shows otherwise. Life expectancy has consistently been rising in the most linear pattern for women, while it has also been rising slightly slower in a linear pattern for men w/ a 2-6 year gap. Best practice life expectancy provides information about the performance of countries. Gap b/w record and national level shows how much better a country could do based on current states of practice and knowledge. Declines in mortality should be seen as a continuous progression, while advancements in various factors have led to mortality decline. The world life expectancy has increased more than 2x over the past 100 years which has increased quality of life, population size, and the elderly population. Researchers could not imagine a life-span that continued to grow, while they assumed various barriers and impediments would prevent this and result in a fixed life-span.
