Journal of Women & Aging最新文献

This qualitative study explores the psychosocial experiences of midlife Italian women, focusing on the evolution of their creative self. Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, we examined narratives from eight women aged 51-62, capturing their spontaneous perception of the changes characterizing this phase of their life, with a particular focus on the subject of creativity. Three major themes emerged from the interviews: (1) Personal Growth, highlighting increased self-awareness, resilience in the face of adverse events and a deeper connection with their bodies; (2) Relationships with Others, underscoring shifts in friendships, family dynamics, and how relationships foster creativity; and (3) The Creative Self, which explores the redefinition of creativity in midlife as part of a broader transformative process. The study offers new insights into how midlife can serve as a fertile period for personal and creative development, challenging the dominant focus on loss often associated with ageing. This work contributes to the literature by highlighting the underexplored positive transformations occurring during this phase, particularly in the Italian socio-cultural context.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (diabetes) is the eighth leading cause of death in the United States. Diabetes disproportionately affects older adults and people of color. For older African American women, diabetes is considered a public health crisis. African American women 55 and older face higher mortality rates and more severe diabetes-related complications compared to their White counterparts. Secondary conditions such as cardiovascular disease, stroke, dementia, diabetic neuropathy, amputations, renal failure and blindness provide further complications to what is considered a major health challenge in the African American community. Self-management strategies are key to optimizing health outcomes for diabetes; however, in general, prioritizing self-care has been especially difficult for women given their adherence to cultural scripts that dictate prioritization of other-care over self-care. This paper presents selected narratives of Black women from a large qualitative study funded by the National Institute on Aging, which examined the diabetes management strategies of older adults residing in an urban area of the mid-Atlantic region of the U.S. The Black women selected for this analysis, have chosen to prioritize the self in the face of competing responsibilities, and by doing so display active resistance to the traditional gender expectations imposed upon women in American culture. We use Black Feminist Perspective to center and contextualize the variation in health experiences of Black women in our sample. For healthcare providers it is important to understand the experiences of African American women and the social forces which influence - hinder and support - their strategies for prioritizing health.

Studies have shown that gender is associated with inequalities in successful aging. However, little is known about the trends in gender gaps in successful aging and the factors contributing to these disparities. This study aims to provide evidence of gender inequalities in successful aging and to identify the contributing factors to inform targeted policy development. Using the data of China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) from 2011 to 2018, a total of 21,718 older adults (60+) were enrolled in this study. Successful aging was assessed by successful aging index covering absence of disease, physical functioning, psychological functioning, activity of daily living, physical activity functioning, cognitive functioning, and interpersonal social engagement. We employed Shapley decomposition to examine factors contributing to successful aging inequalities and further analyzed gender-specific disparities using Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition. Results indicate an upward trend in successful aging inequalities. The most significant contributors to such inequalities are gender, education, age, residential area, drinking, and smoking, which span across the dimensions of personal characteristics, family characteristics, regional factors, and lifestyle. Under the gender perspective, education emerged as the most influential factor, while other characteristics like smoking, drinking, age, marital status, and residential area also matter. Over time, the contribution of education is more stable, whereas the influence of smoking and drinking increased. Gender inequalities in successful aging in China are generally increasing, with a continuous expansion over time. To mitigate these disparities, gender-specific geriatric care policies are needed to ensure equitable and inclusive aging opportunities for both men and women.

Earthquakes can cause significant changes in the qualities of sleep and life of menopausal women. The aim of this study is to determine the qualities of sleep and life of menopausal women after the earthquake. This cross-sectional and correlational study was conducted with 182 menopausal women who applied to the State Hospital between 24 June and 14 September 2023. The data were collected using a Personal Information Form, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and the Menopause-Specific Quality of Life Scale (MENQOL). In addition to descriptive statistics, t-test and Mann Whitney U test, One-Way ANOVA, Kruskal Wallis test, Correlation, and Multiple Linear Regression analyses were used to analyze the data. In the study, it was determined that the women's PSQI and MENQOL total mean scores were 8.21 ± 4.34, and 118.75 ± 45.73, respectively. There was a positive, significant, and moderate correlation between PSQI and MENQOL. Age, loss of a relative in the earthquake, place of residence, and PSQI total score accounted for 35.3% of the total variance for MENQOL. In the post-earthquake period, the menopausal women had a poor quality of sleep and a moderate menopause-specific quality of life. Their qualities of sleep and life were correlated with each other. Deteriorated sleep quality in menopausal women after the earthquake negatively affected their quality of life specific to menopause. In this regard, it is important to evaluate the sleep problems of menopausal women and prioritize them in disaster management strategies.

In this paper, we explore queer temporalities in relation to queer women and non-binary people's sexuality later in life. Drawing on 30 interviews with 32 queer women and non-binary people aged 49-72 about sexuality and intimacy in later life, we highlight the participants' stories about the instability and non-linearity of sexuality across the life course. First, we examine how our participants narrated later-life changes in their sexual subjectivity and how the assumption of compulsory (hetero)sexuality manifests in the participants' stories about the unfolding of their sexual identities over the life course. We then analyze the compulsory non-sexuality imposed on women as they grow older. Finally, we explore the potential of reinterpreting sexuality in later life to destabilize pervasive normative notions of sexuality by analyzing the bodily changes the participants described. Rather than eradicating difference, such an analysis of later-life sexuality and queer temporality opens up the possibility of affirming changing desires and pleasures and acknowledging the body's agency in shaping later-life sexuality.

Women's sexuality as a dimension of embodied identity is shaped and constrained by social norms of gender and age and negotiated by women in complex ways. Discourses of hegemonic bodily normativity ascribe a sexless subjectivity to Russian women in their post-reproductive years, contributing to their social exclusion. At the same time, in modern Russian society a neoliberal concept of "successful active aging" is gradually changing understandings of aging, making later-life sexuality more visible and legitimate. Older women's sexual activity is often part of a lifestyle involving active care of their appearance and health, allowing them to maintain social inclusion in their post-reproductive years. This article considers how women's sexuality shifts over time and what alternative (if any) form of sexuality exists besides the "sexless older woman" and the "sexy older woman" in the post-Soviet Russian context. Based on Russian data from the project "Aging and sexuality: transformation of intimacy in a transnational perspective" (The project "Aging and sexuality: transformation of intimacy in a transnational perspective" (under supervision of professor Anna Temkina, EUSPb).), this article discusses growing recognition of the diversity of experiences of later-life sexuality and the vulnerable social position of women in their post-reproductive years outside Western societies.

Hair is an important personal attribute defined by the person's natural hair shape, form and colour as well as by age and health. The hair of Black women has a specific curly texture that has been commonly manipulated to resemble straighter European hair, following centuries of oppressive beauty norms. The biological hair aging also presents challenges to some women due to the traditional social constructs of beauty and the persistent pressure on women to maintain their appearance. This interdisciplinary study explores the evolution of hair management practices of Black women from age-related biological, personal, social and well-being perspectives. A mixed methods approach was adopted, based on an online survey (n = 46) followed by in depth semi-structured interviews (n = 10). A statistically significant shift towards less frequent use of complex hair styles and visits to the hairdressers over a 30-year period was found, but frequency of hair colouring was not impacted. Three main qualitative themes were identified: 1) managing hair greying represented an important age-related negotiation of personal and social identity; 2) curly hair texture remained a strong personal and cultural identity symbol in light of historical dominance of Eurocentric hair beauty standards and hair-based discrimination; and 3) subjective well-being was strengthened by increased confidence in one's personal hair aesthetics and better-informed choices about hair management. Overall, age did not diminish the desire to maintain good hair. Increasing the visibility of older Black women's hair will further support their capacity to negotiate their presence and participation in social and professional contexts and to enhance their subjective well-being.

Increasing but unknown numbers of women are adopting itinerant lifestyles on the road, in the pursuit of ambitions and aspirations that extend beyond the conventional role of women as they age. Using data from a study that aimed to describe women who travel without men, either alone or with other women, across Australia in self-contained accommodation, this paper illustrates the richness and diversity of these lives through the narratives of four women. The study from which these data were taken was informed by an ethnographic approach. A montage has been used to present four narratives that together illustrate dominant themes that emerged from the analysis. Initially 29 women, travelling either alone or with other women in mobile accommodation across Australia, were interviewed using audio-visual media or telephones between March 2020-March 2022. From the thematic analysis of these interviews, four participants' narratives were chosen to represent the main themes derived from the analysis while at the same time retaining the women's individual perspectives and voices. The four narratives included in this montage paper exemplify four key themes: the adventure of exploring Australia; experiencing the new and unknown; developing self-knowledge and self-confidence; and taking control of one's life. The women's stories demonstrate commonality as well as diversity, of a chosen lifestyle beyond the conventional view of women as homemakers, and redefining the conventional view of ageing as one of decline and deterioration. These narratives demonstrate older women living lives that provide new and different pathways to personal growth, independence and self-confidence.

Women experience greater stress and burnout compared to men, particularly at midlife, when gender role expectations may contribute to experiencing stress and burnout. To date, researchers have not empirically examined the associations between gender traits and stereotypes, stress, and burnout among midlife women. Gendered traits and stereotypes were assessed via self-reported questionnaires, along with perceived stress and burnout. Data were collected from 301 women ages 40 to 65 in the United States and United Kingdom via an online survey in 2018. Results indicated that for gender traits, stronger feminine traits were associated with lower work-related burnout, and stronger personal masculine traits were associated with lower stress and lower personal burnout. Social masculine traits were positively associated with personal burnout. Furthermore, stress mediated the associations between femininity and personal masculinity and burnout, such that lower scores on both feminine traits and personal masculine traits were associated with higher stress, and this was in turn associated with greater burnout in both personal and work domains. Results indicate that specific positive aspects of personal gender traits, both masculine (e.g. strength in beliefs, conviction), and feminine (e.g., connection, warmth) were associated with lower stress and lower burnout, and these traits may reduce risk for stress and burnout.

When Canadian broadcaster, Lisa LaFlamme, announced in August 2022 that CTV National News did not renew her contract, some observers suggested that the corporation's decision resulted from LaFlamme's choice to "let her hair go gray" during the pandemic. An international public outcry ensued on Twitter. Our study involved an examination of these tweets (n = 440). Analyses revealed that approximately 80 percent of tweets indicated opposition to LaFlamme's dismissal, while only 2 percent indicated support and 18 percent indicated a neutral position. Among tweets expressing opposition, the most common justification, found in 79 percent of these tweets, centered on assessments of the employer's decision as poor. The frequency of all other justifications for opposition was considerably lower, with only 26 percent of these tweets mentioning ageism, 22 percent mentioning sexism, and 20 percent mentioning a general sense of unfairness to LaFlamme. These findings suggest the salience of capitalist logics in shaping how the public frames gendered ageism in the workplace. Our analyses also suggest a view of responses to this inequality as personal bodywork choices. Together, these framings reflect a more individual- than structural-level critique of gendered ageism, knowledge of which can inform efforts to dismantle it.