On the intersections of age, gender and sexualities in research on ageing

Abstract

This chapter outlines an intersectional lens that considers the impacts of age, gender, and sexualities on gay and lesbian elders.  It defines social inequalities and specify intersectionality as a theory of how they relate, drawing on Crenshaw’s (1991) original concept, which indicates how overlapping categorical status creates unique effects. It then outline the intersections of age, gender, and sexuality in the study of gay and lesbian elders.  It focuses in particular on age relations as this inequality is often left out of scholarship on gay men and lesbians, even that which focuses on elders.  The last part of the chapter suggests a model for research on same-sex partner caregiving that would illuminate intersections of gender, sexuality, and age in this context.