cultural lag

American  

Or culture lag

noun

Sociology.

1. slowness in the rate of change of one part of a culture in relation to another part, resulting in a maladjustment within society, as from the failure of the nonmaterial culture to keep abreast of developments in the material culture.

---

cultural lag British  

noun

1. the difference in the rate of change between two parts of a culture

---

Example Sentences

Match Group But amid all this chatter, it was obvious that the fundamental problem with dating apps is the fundamental problem with every technological innovation: cultural lag.

From The Verge • Feb. 15, 2018

Now, the cultural lag having elapsed and Khrushchev having toned down Communist belligerence, schools are beginning to see the task as a scholarly opportunity for their history and social studies departments.

From Time Magazine Archive

Through some cultural lag, Americans continue to speak of "the cities" in accents implying that they are something different and special.

From Time Magazine Archive

A U.S. audience is more likely to feel the faint shock of cultural lag.

From Time Magazine Archive

He’s sort of a father-image with a cultural lag.

From "The Pigman" by Paul Zindel