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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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Older women and their representations of old age
— a qualitative analysis | | Author(s) | Anne Quéniart, Michele Charpentier |
| Journal title | Ageing and Society, vol 32, part 6, August 2012 |
| Pages | pp 983-1007 |
| Source | http://www.journals.cambridge.org/aso |
| Keywords | Older women ; Ageing process ; Quality of life ; Attitude ; Attitudes to the old of general public ; Canada. |
| Annotation | This study examined the views of three generations of older women with different life stories (single, married, children and childless) in Quebec, Canada. Based on a qualitative analysis of 25 in-depth interviews conducted with three generations of older women, findings revealed their refusal to define themselves as 'older or elderly women', largely due to persistent stereotypes linking old age to dependency, social isolation and fragility. Aware of the social prejudice regarding women and old age, they rejected it unanimously. Older women were found to represent a challenge to these homogenising preconceptions of old age, which they, on the contrary, experienced in a multitude of ways, often enjoyable. Their conceptions of 'ageing well' were diverse and did not correspond to a clinical definition of ageing. On the contrary their representations of ageing expressed positive values of autonomy, independence, consistency and integrity, maintenance of physical and intellectual health, and being socially active, rather than breaking with contemporary life or existing on the margins of society. (JL). |
| Accession Number | CPA-120925004 A |
| Classmark | BD: BG: F:59: DP: TOB: 7S |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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