Journal of Women & Aging最新文献

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.

Feminine traits associated with crone consciousness can help solve many challenges that North American societies face today. This descriptive study demonstrates how six older women, ages 63-74, who identify as crones, contribute significantly as board members, mentors, social workers, daughters, mothers, coaches, and community members. Crones were part of ancient prehistorical cultures and portrayed as wise healers. After the 1400s, the crone is often depicted as ugly, decrepit, repulsive, and threatening. Today, crone consciousness is reemerging, especially in older women, as qualities of wisdom, inner knowing, and intuition. A crone-like person can be an instrument for transformative justice. Phase 1 of this study, n = 84 with an average age of 67, built on a set of crone attributes from previous research, providing a more nuanced description of what it means to be a crone and a leader in the 21^st century. In this follow-up study, Phase 2, the researcher used models and applications from the theory of the Coordinated Management of Meaning (CMM) to describe crone consciousness in action. People in positions of power commit epistemic injustices when they prevent those of all genders from enlivening the crone archetype and acting for the common good. When many leaders focus on competition and economic prosperity at the expense of many, working for the common good might be considered a radical imaginary. This study contributes to a growing literature on crones, providing contemporary real-world examples of an ancient and reviving consciousness.

This study aimed to examine the relationships among menopausal attitudes, psychological well-being, menopausal symptoms, and gender role attitudes, and how these factors influence psychological well-being in menopausal women. Data were collected from 290 participants using a Personal Information Form, Gender Roles Attitude Scale, Psychological Well-Being Scale, and Attitude Toward Menopause Scale. Pearson correlations and multiple linear regression were used to analyze the relationships and predict psychological well-being. Menopausal attitude was positively correlated with psychological well-being (r = 0.550, p < 0.001) and negatively correlated with menopausal symptoms (r = -0.420, p < 0.001). Gender attitude was positively correlated with both menopausal attitude (r = 0.480, p < 0.001) and psychological well-being (r = 0.380, p < 0.001), and negatively correlated with menopausal symptoms (r = -0.290, p < 0.001). The relationship between psychological well-being and menopausal symptoms was not significant (r = -0.100, p > 0.05). In the regression model, these variables explained 30% of the variance in psychological well-being (Adjusted R² = 0.30, F = 32.584, p < 0.001). Positive menopausal and gender role attitudes were associated with improved psychological well-being, while higher menopausal symptoms were linked to lower well-being. These findings suggest that addressing gender role attitudes and promoting positive perceptions of menopause could enhance psychological well-being during this life transition.

This study investigates how diverse service needs shape aging anxiety among middle-aged marriage immigrant women (MIWs) in South Korea, grounded in life course theory and developmental task theory. Prolonged unmet service needs can limit access to essential resources, hinder preparation for later life, and exacerbate aging anxiety. Utilizing data from the 5th National Survey on Multicultural Families and filtering it based on the length of residence in Korea, this study employs latent class analysis to identify patterns of service needs. The Bolck-Croon-Hagenaars approach is also applied to examine the relationship between the identified patterns and aging anxiety. The findings reveal five distinct service need patterns-High service need, Low service need, Employment need, Social involvement need, and Childcare and startup need groups-and aging anxiety varies across these patterns. This research highlights the importance of developing tailored social welfare policies to foster inclusivity within vulnerable populations and to support successful aging. Ultimately, the findings call for life stage sensitive and targeted services that reflect the unique developmental needs of middle-aged MIWs to mitigate aging anxiety and promote well-being.

Previous studies of custodial grandparenting tend to aggregate population data or not distinguish custodial grandparenting experiences by race, even though research demonstrates that custodial grandparenting for Black grandmothers is compounded by intersectional disadvantages. Our aim is to contribute to the gerontologic health literature with a nuanced understanding of caregiver burden that captures the strains and joys of custodial grandparenting, more accurately representing the heterogeneous experiences of Black caregiving. Data for this analysis is derived from a mixed methods descriptive concurrent parallel design with 20 custodial Black grandmothers. Quantitative analysis included bivariate associations. Qualitative thematic analysis was used. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected in parallel manner, analyzed independently, then aligned. We identified three distinct groups: High, Moderate, and Low Burden. Two-fifths of custodial Black grandmothers experienced low caregiving burden and one-quarter reported high burden which contrasts with research emphasizing the strains of caregiving for this population. Findings reveal diversity and significant variation in the caregiving experiences of Black grandmothers influencing, and influenced by, psychological and physical well-being. These findings also demonstrate meaningful sociodemographic differences across the three groups, supporting the typology of caregiver burden. The caregiver burden typology can be utilized to inform policy and support services, and as a starting point for future research to assess heterogeneity in custodial Black grandmother's experiences.

Prior research on employment history and old age health has focused on the US and Europe, leaving studies of developing countries underexplored. This study characterizes the employment history of Chinese men and women and examines their associations with cognition. Individuals (aged 60+) enrolled in the 2011 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study were included ($N_{\text{men}}$=2,733, $N_{\text{women}}$=2,363) and followed up in 2013 and 2015. Cognition was measured by the sum of memory (word recall) and mental intactness (tasks like serial 7's). Retrospective information on employment history (age 15-60) was retrieved. Sequence analysis grouped similar employment trajectories and mixed-effect models examined the relationship between employment trajectories and cognition. A significant proportion of Chinese were consistently employed in agriculture (45% of men; 70% of women). About 26% men were consistently non-agriculture employed and retired at age 60, while 29% men had fluctuating employment featuring agriculture and early retirement. About 15% women were consistently non-agriculture employed and retired at age 55. Notably, 14% women had fluctuating employment featuring unemployment, home, and early retirement. Compared to the agriculture employment, the non-agriculture employed group reported better cognition (men: β = 1.26, 95%CI = 0.81, 1.66; women: β = 1.63, 95%CI = 1.09, 2.30). Men's fluctuating employment trajectory also had higher cognition than the agriculture employment group. Older Chinese experienced distinct life course employment trajectories reflecting the economic and historic development in China. Sex difference was evident as women were more involved in agricultural work and working at home. Agricultural employment was associated with worse cognition, highlighting the disadvantaged health status of Chinese farmers.