Middle age

Various attempts have been made to define this age, which is around the third quarter of the average life span of human beings. According to Collins Dictionary, this is "... usually considered to occur approximately between the ages of 40 and 60", The OED gives a similar definition but with a later start point "... the period between youth and old age, about 45 to 60." The US Census lists middle age as including both the age categories 35 to 44 and 45 to 54. Erik Erikson sees it ending a little later and defines middle adulthood as between 40 and 65.

In many Western societies this is seen to be the period of life in which a person is expected to have settled down in terms of their sense of identity and place in the world, be raising a family, and have established career stabilty. It is also a period often associated with the potential onset of mid-life crisis.