What Do Older Women and Men Want?

Abstract

Issues of gender have always been at the heart of the sociology of ageing but their construction has undergone a remarkable transformation over the past half century. From an initial focus on retirement (for men) as the defining characteristic of the ‘problem of old age’, the demographic feminization of the aged population has more recently been mirrored in sociological research by a focus on the circumstances and experiences of the numerically larger group of older women. Researchers with an interest in older women, particularly those who approach the issue from a feminist perspective, have concluded that ageing is a gendered phenomenon that has special meanings for women. Some recent commentators have drawn attention to the ‘invisibility’ of older men, though relatively little systematic research has been conducted on any aspect of their lives. While it is well known that women live longer and are more likely to use formal care services than men, other more subtle differences in their experiences of ageing have been less well documented and their implications remain largely unexamined. This article draws on findings from qualitative research to explore gender differences in the ‘lived experience’ of growing old.