Understanding occupational potential across the life course: life stories of older women

2005 ◽  
Vol 52 (2) ◽  
pp. 175-175
Author(s):  
Alison Wicks
Keyword(s):  
Life Course ◽  
Older Women ◽  
Life Stories ◽  
The Life Course

scholarly journals Life Stories of Voluntarily Childless Older People: A Retrospective View on Their Reasons and Experiences

2020 ◽  
pp. 0192513X2094990
Author(s):  
Hannelore Stegen ◽  
Lise Switsers ◽  
Liesbeth De Donder
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Life Stories ◽  
Social Critic ◽  
Voluntarily Childless ◽  
Voluntary Childlessness ◽  
Current Trends ◽  
Retrospective View ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Life Course

This article investigates the reasons for and experiences of voluntary childlessness throughout the life course. Thirteen voluntarily childless people aged 60 years and older (Belgium) were interviewed using the McAdams approach (2005). Four profiles were derived from the reasons given for voluntary childlessness: the “liberated careerist,” the “social critic,” the “acquiescent partner,” and “voluntarily childless because of life course circumstances.” Results further indicate that older people experience feelings of acceptance, loss (missing familiarity with current trends, being helped, and children’s company), and relief concerning their voluntary childlessness. Moreover, they rarely seem to regret their choice. The discussion indicates the existence of voluntary childlessness among older people, a phenomenon sometimes questioned in the existing scientific literature. As part of a diverse target group, each of these older adults has their personal reasons and experiences regarding childlessness.

Life Cycle Patterns of Physical Activity among Sedentary and Active Older Women

1995 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 340-359 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra O’Briem Cousins ◽  
Norah Keating
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Older Women ◽  
Elderly Women ◽  
Life Course Perspective ◽  
Time Activity ◽  
Health Promoting ◽  
The Life Course ◽  
Life Cycle Patterns

Federal studies report that health-promoting physical activity declines markedly over the life course, so that by late life, about half of Canadian elderly women are sedentary. Although some older women are engaged in optimal levels of exercise, others develop lifestyles that are generally sedentary. This divergence of women's pursuit of leisure-time activity requires examination. Focus groups with active and sedentary older women were conducted to explore the variability Of participation in health-promoting forms of physical activity over the life course. The life course perspective of Bengston and Allen (1993) provided a framework for the investigation of the life cycle patterns of these women. Although life stages and life events of these women were similar, the pathways of coping with life challenges differed between the two groups. Content analysis highlighted the importance of turning points that led women to either significantly increase or decrease physical activity.

The Birth of the Militant Self

2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wiktor Marzec
Keyword(s):  
Political Parties ◽  
Working Class ◽  
Political Participation ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Life Stories ◽  
Political Identity ◽  
Party Politics ◽  
The Political ◽  
Life Context ◽  
The Life Course

The 1905 Revolution was often considered by workers writing memoirs as the most important event in their lives. This paper examines biographical reminiscences of the political participation of working-class militants in the 1905 Revolution. I scrutinize four tropes used by working-class writers to describe their life stories narrated around their political identity. These are: (1) overcoming misery and destitution, (2) autodidacticism, (3) political initiation, and (4) feeling of belonging to the community of equals. All four demonstrate that the militant self cannot be understood in separation from the life context of the mobilized workers. Participation in party politics was an important factor modifying the life course of workers in the direction resonating with their aspirations and longings. The argument is informed by analysis of over a hundred of biographical testimonies written by militants from various political parties in different political circumstances.

Troubled conception

2007 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 32.1-32.19
Author(s):  
Marian May
Keyword(s):  
Life Course ◽  
Conversation Analysis ◽  
Older Women ◽  
Telephone Survey ◽  
Low Fertility ◽  
Ageing Population ◽  
Childbearing Intentions ◽  
The Life Course

In the context of low fertility and Australia’s ageing population, a national longitudinal telephone survey,Negotiating the Life Course(NLC), asks women about their childbearing intentions. This paper uses conversation analysis (CA) to examine interaction between an interviewer and respondents on one NLC question about the likelihood of having children, Question 165. The analysis focuses on excerpts from troubled interviews, making transparent the task of negotiating responses acceptable to the interviewer and shedding light on problems inherent in the question for older women and women for whom prediction is difficult. Analysis shows the trouble to result from lack of congruence in the purposes of the researcher and the respondent: the researcher asks about likelihood, whereas the respondent tells her own story.

Older Women and Sexuality: Experiences in Marital Relationships across the Life Course

2006 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 129-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Hurd Clarke
Keyword(s):  
Life Course ◽  
Older Women ◽  
Sexual Interest ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Sexual Relationships ◽  
Sexual Scripts ◽  
Cultural Norms ◽  
Sexual Experiences ◽  
The Life Course ◽  
The Impact

ABSTRACTRates of sexual activity have been found to decline over the life course, as individuals experience marital transitions and the loss of partners, health problems, and decreased sexual interest. This article compares and contrasts earlier- and later-life sexual experiences and examines the changing meanings that older women ascribe to sexuality over the life course. Qualitative data from a study involving 24 women aged 52 to 90 who were remarried after age 50 illuminate a shift, as individuals age, from an emphasis on the importance of sexual intercourse and passion to a greater valuing of companionship, cuddling, affection, and intimacy. Situating the discussion in the context of changing cultural norms and sexual scripts, the article investigates the impact of health conditions on the women's sexual relationships as well as the women's tendency to have later-life sexual experiences more positive than were their earlier sexual experiences.

Applying Anthropological Insight in an Aging World

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sherylyn Briller ◽  
Erika Carrillo
Keyword(s):  
Life Course ◽  
Cultural Values ◽  
Life Stories ◽  
Population Aging ◽  
Cultural Variation ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
The Life Course ◽  
Aging World ◽  
Global Population

Aging is a biological and sociocultural experience that occurs globally. Although aging is universal, ideas about aging and the life course vary widely and influence how aging and quality of life are perceived. Aging occurs both individually and collectively. Individuals have their own life stories and experiences shaped by cultural values, norms, and life course expectations. Anthropology’s attention to both scientific and humanistic ways of exploring what it means to be human is well suited to investigating how people live and age over time and in various locations. Like other anthropological subjects, one can explore aging in terms of human evolution as well as biological and cultural variation in aging experiences. Combining these topics to take a holistic perspective forms the subfield of the anthropology of aging. Given the breadth and scope of the anthropology of aging’s subject matter and global population aging, it is easy to see why this subfield is so fascinating to explore and work in as a career field. Numerous prior reviews cover the subfield’s origins and development and are highlighted. Homage is paid to the subfield’s history, and how to apply what has been learned to understanding a rapidly aging and socially changing world is discussed. As many have indicated, significant challenges and opportunities lie ahead.

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