Journal of Women & Aging最新文献

This article explores the efficacy of costume within the context of new or neo-burlesque performance and examines what costume 'does' on stage for older performers. It brings together scholarship on burlesque performance and female ageing and introduces a third theoretical dimension, that of critical costume. The article investigates the role costume plays in burlesque performances and the extent to which it partners with the bodies of older performers both during the creative process and on stage. Adopting object-oriented storytelling as methodology, interviews with professional and semi-professional performers reveal how the aesthetic, technical and material qualities of burlesque costumes act as a vehicle for the performance of pleasure and provide a platform for flamboyant aging. By examining the materiality and performative potential of burlesque costumes, this article offers insights into the transformative power of costume in the context of creative ageing and wellbeing. Drawing on testimony from performers, burlesque costuming is conceptualised as an active collaborator which is capable of producing alternative narratives around the representation of ageing, female bodies.

Gendered ageism refers to discrimination and bias arising from the intersection of age and gender. It leads to the devaluation and mistreatment of older women and may disproportionately impact multiple aspects of their lives. In this study, we explore the effects of gendered ageism on older women's access to healthcare in three African countries. Eighteen women aged 54-85 years were interviewed for this study. Thematic analysis was conducted to explore older women's experiences with healthcare facilities and health staff. Three sub-themes were identified: 1) structural and systemic issues that cause delay or denial of healthcare, 2) lack of person-centered care and disrespectful attitudes of healthcare workers, and 3) perceived control over healthcare decision-making. These sub-themes explore barriers to healthcare at the macro-, meso-, and micro-levels of interactions with healthcare systems. Gendered ageism may compromise older women's right to health, life, dignity, autonomy, and independence. It may deny older women access to timely and quality healthcare, jeopardizing their lives and limiting their prospects for healthy ageing. Recognition of the wide prevalence of gendered ageism and its impacts are essential for the formulation of health policies aimed at protecting older women from bias and discrimination within healthcare systems.

As population aging intensifies and low birth rates persist, the growing burden of pension expenditures has formed an important background for China's implementation of a gradual delayed retirement policy. However, within the traditional gender division of labor in China, middle-aged and older women often bear dual maternal responsibilities-supporting adult children and caring for grandchildren. This study adopts in-depth interviews and participatory observation to engage 11 middle-aged and older women in Xianlin Sub-district, Qixia District, Nanjing. It analyzes their role conflicts under the dual pressures of work and family, and explores the influence of labor systems, gender norms, and welfare institutions. The study finds that although delayed retirement can increase their family income, maintain social networks, and improve their "empty nest" living situation, they still face challenges such as dual labor, time poverty under labor systems, exclusion from modern parenting discourses, and physical and mental exhaustion due to dual maternal roles, under the constraints of multiple social structures. These maternal practices reflect the struggles of middle-aged and older women within structural dilemmas arising from family gender role expectations, the lack of social policies and protections, internalized traditional cultural notions, and insufficient social support. Therefore, it is urgently needed to optimize social policies, promote the construction of harmonious family values, implement community-based childcare mutual assistance, and adjust family roles as care strategies to help middle-aged and older women reposition their roles within multiple social structures and reshape maternal spaces.

Little qualitative literature has focused on women's motivations to undergo cosmetic/aesthetic surgery and their lived experiences throughout the surgery process (e.g., before, during, and after). To fill this gap, we interviewed 15 Czech women aged 30-55 and conducted non-participatory observations at aesthetic surgery clinics. We conducted a thematic analysis from which we generated three overarching themes. Broadly, participants discussed the normalisation of cosmetic/aesthetic surgery in society and the importance of undergoing cosmetic/aesthetic surgery for themselves while "in the shadow" for others. Participants also articulated how medical aesthetic encounters with aesthetic surgeon(s) influence their cosmetic/aesthetic surgery journeys. Finally, some women expressed decision regrets immediately after surgery or later during the recovery process. The presented results are the testimony of women who respond and negotiate differently to the pressures of gendered sociocultural norms and expectations associated with the body and its physicality. These findings seek to contribute to contemporary debates on gendered bodywork and self-care as a broader component of well-being and health from both theoretical and empirical perspectives and to focus on the ageing female body moving through the era of gender and cosmetic/aesthetic surgery.

This study explores the communication patterns between women in various stages of menopause and their healthcare providers through the lens of the theory of communicative disenfranchisement (TCD). Drawing from in-depth interviews (n = 32), using a thematic analysis and adopting an interpretive approach, three themes were identified relating to healthcare provider communication. Findings suggest that provider and patient communication involves (1) validating talk, (2) disenfranchising communication and disconfirming talk, and (3) patient self-advocacy. Although power imbalances are endemic to patient-provider relationships, our analysis demonstrates how these dynamics are exacerbated and acutely felt in the context of menopause from the perspective of the patient, due to the convergence of medical uncertainty, societal stigma, and the subjective nature of symptoms. Participants' narratives advocate for reforms that prioritize validation, comprehensive information, and access to more specialized and responsive care. The study argues that the TCD provides a critical framework for understanding how systemic healthcare disparities become communicatively enacted in specific, stigmatized health contexts like menopause. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.

Endogamy requirement, together with differences in life styles between nonreligious Han group and Hui-Muslims, cause Han-Hui intermarriage unwelcomed both in Han and Hui families in China. Changes brought by marriage make these Han women feel an identity crisis of being bi-marginalized by both Han and Hui families. Narratives of 32 Han-married-Hui women are analyzed with the help of autobiographical reasoning, examining how they relate the past to the present in their life stories to bridge personal change and render personal identity continuous. It is found that they rely on something stable, like personal character, personal capability, or certain resources (kids, husbands, domestic service), to diminish the change brought by the marriage and obtain self-continuity. During this process, four new, hybrid identities are developed: Hui-Muslim identity, Han-Muslim identity, Han-Half-Muslim identity, and Han-Non-Muslim identity. Self-identification approves the application of the mechanisms, while applying the mechanisms confirms the new identities. The dynamic interplay between the two help the women resist societal and family marginalization, and maintain 'coherent self' as well as align with Chinese family culture.

Older volunteers fulfill many social and cultural needs that strengthen social cohesion. Volunteering within an organization can provide adults new roles in later life, which can offer certain benefits. However, volunteering is unequally distributed in society, and older men and women do not play equal roles within organizations. Particularly, as compared to older men, older women perform more informal volunteering and are less likely to occupy managerial positions in formal volunteering. In this study, we draw on qualitative data on older people engaged in formal volunteering in French-speaking Switzerland to better understand how gender shapes volunteering in later life, paying particular attention to older female experiences of volunteering. We illustrate the gendered tensions between feeling responsible for carrying out informal volunteering while simultaneously searching for means of personal fulfillment and time to relax and rest. This study underlines the importance of better understanding the gendered constraints and opportunities that older women face in volunteering, as well as the implications for volunteer organizations and welfare policies in Switzerland and beyond.

Amid the global aging population, addressing cognitive decline among the elders has become a critical worldwide concern. China, the country with the largest aged population, has a deep-rooted tradition of family-based care, along with intensified involvement of women in older adults care and its health effects, providing a strong foundation for addressing cognitive issues domestically. This study uses data from 2018 China Family Panel Studies to empirically analyze the impact of raising daughters and its influence on the cognitive level of aging parents. The findings reveal that the presence of daughters by blood tie is significantly associated with enhanced aging parents' cognitive ability, with a pronounced effect in one-child families, which intensifies as the elders age, affirming a "daughter effect" associated with enhanced cognitive ability. The relational presence of daughters exerts a significantly stronger positive influence on aging parents' cognitive health than physical co-residence, with its importance increasing markedly as parents age. Emotional support plays a partial mediating role in the mechanism by which daughters are positively associated with improved cognitive ability of aging parents, and the mediating effect is greater in socially isolated older adults. Regional and gender differences exist, with urban families and aging mothers experiencing stronger associations with the daughter effect. For policy implications, this study highlights a culturally embedded, gender-sensitive pathway to improve cognitive health through daughter-led emotional support-offering low-cost, family-centered strategies to complement public health efforts in aging societies.

This study examines the complex relationships between appearance management motivation, multidimensional identity, and well-aging among Korean women aged 50-69. Research with 700 participants in the Seoul metropolitan area revealed that appearance management functions as a psychosocial mechanism for identity reconstruction and well-aging beyond aesthetic practice. Key findings demonstrated that appearance management motivation serves as a core mechanism of identity formation, grounded in pursuing social connection, personal growth, and self-satisfaction. While social and psychosocial developmental identities showed significant mediating effects between appearance management motivation and well-aging, aesthetic identity did not. This suggests that Korean late middle-aged women's appearance management emphasizes maintaining social relationships and establishing meaningful roles rather than achieving idealized aesthetic standards. Women in their 50s showed a strong social identity path to well-aging through social belonging and recognition, and a tendency to maintain social visibility through their appearance. In contrast, women in their 60s showed a strong psychosocial developmental identity path associated with appearance management as an expression of maturity, purpose in life, and social contribution, and characteristics of late adulthood that emphasize developmental continuity over external recognition. These differences stem from the experiences of women in their 50s, who grew up valuing individualism and self-realization amid economic growth, democratization, and expanded education, and women in their 60s, who grew up valuing social roles and collective expectations within traditional values. The significance of this study is that it provides practical implications for identity formation and aging, and contributes to understanding the psychosocial adaptation process that occurs during this stage.

India's population is aging rapidly, creating urgent challenges related to the financial security and health of older adults. These challenges are particularly acute for older women, who often face lifelong economic disadvantages and limited access to formal social protection. While the link between financial well-being and health is well established globally, there is a lack of robust, gender-disaggregated evidence from India using nationally representative data. This study addresses that gap by examining how financial factors, including income sources, pension status, insurance coverage, and intergenerational financial exchanges, shape self-rated health among older adults in India. Using data from Wave 1 of the Longitudinal Ageing Study in India (2017-18), we apply bivariate analysis, ordered logistic regression, and generalized ordered logistic regression. Our results highlight significant gender disparities: men report greater financial autonomy and better health, while women are more likely to lack pensions and insurance. Contributing financially and participating in household decisions are associated with better health outcomes, whereas receiving financial support is linked to poorer self-rated health, possibly reflecting loss of autonomy. These findings emphasize the need for gender-sensitive financial protection strategies to support healthy aging in India and other low- and middle-income countries undergoing demographic transitions.