|
The term adult describes any mature organism, but normally it
refers to a human: one that is no longer a child
and is now either a man or a woman. Coming of age is the event of becoming an adult, i.e. of entering
adulthood.
Legally it means that one can engage in a contract. The same or a different
minimum age may be applicable for e.g. parents losing parenting rights and duties
regarding the person concerned, parents losing financial responsibility, marriage,
voting, having a job, being a soldier, driving, travelling abroad, drinking
alcoholic beverages (perhaps different ages for different
categories), smoking, sex, being a prostitute (if legal at all), being a client of a prostitute, being a model or actor in pornography, etc.
The legal definition of entering adulthood varies between ages 16-21, depending on the region in question. Some cultures in
Africa define adult at age 13, but most other civilizations consider this the teenager stage.
Often the age is 18. Exceptions:
19: South Korea
20: Japan.
"Adult" also means "not considered suitable for children", in particular as euphemism for being related to sexual behaviour, e.g. adult
entertainment, adult video, adult magazine, adult bookstore.
However, adult education simply means education for adults, not
particularly sex education.
See also
|