Centre for Policy on Ageing



Intimacy and autonomy, gender and ageing — living apart together
Author(s)	Sofie Ghazanfareeon Karlsson, Klas Borell
Journal title	Ageing International, vol 27, no 4, Fall 2002
Pages	pp 11-26
Keywords	Emotions ; Sexual activity ; Personal relationships ; Living patterns ; Social surveys ; Sweden.
Annotation	To an increasing extent, the "young old" in Sweden are actors in the process of the differentiation of family forms. A distinctive contribution is the establishment of lasting intimate relationships that do not include a shared home - that is, an alternative to marriage and unmarried cohabitation, usually covered by the concept of Living Apart Together (LAT relationships). Living Apart Together can offer older divorcees, widows and widowers a fulfilling intimate relationship, but at the same time ensure the individual a significant degree of autonomy. The study shows that this is of particular importance to women, and that older women play a vital role in establishing and upholding LAT relationships. By preserving her own household, a woman may avoid the asymmetrical distribution of household labour and the unequal demands of caring for a partner that she may have experienced in a previous marriage. (RH).
Accession Number	CPA-030430211 A
Classmark	DL: BIU: DS: K7: 3F: 76P
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...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing.