Typical and Optimal Aging in Women and Men: Is There a Double Standard?

1995 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 187-207 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvia Sara Canetto ◽  
Patricia L. Kaminski ◽  
Diane M. Felicio
Keyword(s):  
Young Adult ◽  
Older People ◽  
Older Women ◽  
Older Adult ◽  
Gender Stereotypes ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Older Men ◽  
Double Standard ◽  
Optimal Aging ◽  
And Gender

Gender stereotypes of typical and optimal, mentally healthy aging were examined with sixty-year-old and seventy-five-year-old women, men and gender-unspecified older people as target persons. Respondents were young adult individuals ( N = 232) and their older adult relatives/acquaintances ( N = 233). Perceptions of typical aging varied depending on the age of the respondent, the target gender and the target age. Gender stereotypes were more pronounced than age stereotypes: respondents described same-gender targets more similarly than same-age targets. Older women were rated higher on dimensions related to nurturance while older men were rated higher on intellectual competence and autonomy. Perceptions of optimal aging were not found to be affected by the gender of the respondent or target. Views of optimal aging, however, were influenced by respondent and target age. These findings suggest a double standard of aging for typical but not for optimal aging.

Grandparents and Grandchildren in Kwahu, Ghana: the Performance of Respect

Africa ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 74 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-61 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sjaak van der Geest
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Older Women ◽  
Older Men ◽  
Age And Gender ◽  
Adolescents And Adults ◽  
Anthropological Fieldwork ◽  
And Gender

AbstractThis description of relations between grandparents and grandchildren in a rural Ghanaian community argues that the quality of these relations varies according to age and gender. Literature on African kinship has almost entirely focused on very young grandchildren. This article draws attention to changes that occur when those children grow into adolescents and adults. Grandchildren—both young and old—speak respectfully about their grandparents, but older people regret that their grandchildren do not come to them for advice once they have grown up. Older men seem more ‘neglected’ by their grandchildren than older women. The second argument is about performance: respect, affection and relatedness between grandparents and grandchildren are demonstrated in public even when their ‘contents’ have dwindled. The article is based on anthropological fieldwork over a period of almost ten years.

scholarly journals Body mass index and mild cognitive impairment among rural older adults in China: the moderating roles of gender and age

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yemin Yuan ◽  
Jie Li ◽  
Nan Zhang ◽  
Peipei Fu ◽  
Zhengyue Jing ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Body Mass Index ◽  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Mild Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Older People ◽  
Older Women ◽  
Older Men ◽  
Gender And Age ◽  
Low Bmi ◽  
Rural Older Adults

Abstract Background Evidence concerning the association between body mass index (BMI) and cognitive function among older people is inconsistent. This study aimed to investigate gender and age as moderators in association between BMI and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) among rural older adults. Methods Data were derived from the 2019 Health Service for Rural Elderly Families Survey in Shandong, China. In total, 3242 people aged 60 years and above were included in the analysis. Multilevel mixed-effects logistic regression was used to examine the moderating roles of gender and age, then further to explore the relationship between BMI and MCI. Results There were 601 (18.5%) participants with MCI. Compared with normal BMI group, low BMI group had a higher risk of MCI among older people [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 2.08, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.26–3.44], women (aOR = 2.06, 95% CI: 1.35–3.12), or the older elderly aged ≥75 years old (aOR = 3.20, 95% CI: 1.34–7.45). This effect remained statistically significant among older women (aOR = 3.38, 95% CI: 1.69–6.73). Among older men, elevated BMI group had a higher risk of MCI (aOR = 2.32, 95% CI: 1.17–4.61) than normal BMI group. Conclusions Gender and age moderated the association between BMI and MCI among Chinese rural older adults. Older women with low BMI were more likely to have MCI, but older men with elevated BMI were more likely to have MCI. These findings suggest rural community managers strengthen the health management by grouping the weight of older people to prevent the risk of dementia.

The Coming-of-Age Experience in Chicanx Queer Novels What Night Brings and Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

2020 ◽  
pp. 175-190
Author(s):  
Carolina Alonso
Keyword(s):  
Young Adult ◽  
Gender Stereotypes ◽  
Coming Of Age ◽  
And Gender ◽  
The Universe

This chapter establishes a dialogue between Chicanx canonical coming-of-age and queer young adult novels What Night Brings (2004) by Carla Trujillo, and Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe (2012) by Benjamin Alire Sáenz. These writers have destabilized the traditional Chicanx coming-of-age genre by placing two social outcasts and queer characters as their protagonists. In these two novels the main characters do not integrate with the rest of their peers; they are both knowledge seekers and outsiders. Additionally, these main characters have a queer sexuality, and they, along with other characters, break from gender binaries and gender stereotypes.

scholarly journals OFFERING SHIFTS TO CASUAL LANGUAGE (‘BAN-MAL’) IN THE KOREAN TV SHOW WE GOT MARRIED

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 37-55
Author(s):  
Youngran BAŠTANOVÁ KWAK
Keyword(s):  
Romantic Relationships ◽  
Older People ◽  
Older Women ◽  
Older Men ◽  
Reality Tv ◽  
The Other ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Speech Styles ◽  
Tv Show

: This research focuses on the topic of Korean speech style shifts from polite to casual between men and women in romantic relationships. This study used data from the Korean reality TV show We Got Married, which was broadcast in Korea for 9 years. After reviewing the system of Korean speech styles and manners of shifts, the study explores who is the first one to offer a shift, what they say, and how an offer is given. According to the analysis, older people were more likely to offer shifts first in the case of romantic relationships. In the TV show, older women tended to offer first a little more through indirect means, while older men offered rather directly. As for expressions used in the offers, the phrase ‘drop the honorifics’ and ‘talk comfortably’ were the most frequently used. They might offer in either polite or casual language, with sudden shifts. However, it was more common for speakers to offer shifts while talking in polite language. During conversations, two types of offers were observed: symmetrical shifts and asymmetrical shifts. In the first type, one speaker suggests shifts from both sides. The second type has more variations: one speaker requests the other’s permission to use casual language, allows the other to use casual language, or shows the speaker’s decision to use casual language. In the samples, symmetrical shifts occurred more often.

“Making the Best of My Appearance”

2018 ◽  
pp. 103-132
Author(s):  
Charlotte Greenhalgh
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Older People ◽  
Older Women ◽  
Physical Aging ◽  
Social Research ◽  
Older Men ◽  
Research Organization ◽  
Careful Attention ◽  
Beauty Culture ◽  
The Right

Older women and men were celebrated in fashion and beauty culture during the middle decades of the twentieth century. In British Vogue, for example, the character Mrs. Exeter modeled glamourous clothing and advised older women about style from 1949 until the mid-1960s. Dashing older men graced the magazine’s pages beside her. Many older people who wrote for social research organization Mass Observation paid careful attention to their appearances. This group of Britons had sufficient resources to spend time and money on shopping and grooming. Many among them felt joy when they selected the ‘right’ outfits and were proud of their attractive complexions, hands, or hair. This chapter explores personal responses to physical aging, including the pleasure of looking good.

Influences of age and gender on human thermoregulatory responses to cold exposures

1985 ◽  
Vol 58 (1) ◽  
pp. 180-186 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. A. Wagner ◽  
S. M. Horvath
Keyword(s):  
Older Women ◽  
Body Fat ◽  
Young Women ◽  
Cold Exposure ◽  
Physiological Responses ◽  
Metabolic Cost ◽  
Older Men ◽  
Age And Gender ◽  
Younger Women ◽  
And Gender

To delineate age- and gender-related differences in physiological responses to cold exposure, men and women between the ages of 20 and 29 yr and 51 and 72 yr, wearing minimal clothing, were exposed at rest for 2 h to 28, 20, 15, and 10 degrees C room temperatures with 40% relative humidity. During the coldest exposure, the rates of increase in metabolic rate (W X m-2 or ml X kg lean body mass-1 X min-1 were similar for all groups. However, older women (n = 7) may have benefited from a larger (P less than 0.05) early metabolic (M) increase (40% within 15 min) than young men (18%) (n = 10), young women (5%) (n = 10), or older men (5%) (n = 10). A similar rapid M response in older women occurred during the 15 degrees C exposure. During all cold exposures, older women maintained constant rectal temperature (Tre) and young women maintained Tre only during the 20 degrees C exposures, whereas Tre of the men declined during all cold exposures (P less than 0.01). Changes in Tre and mean skin temperature (Ts) during cold exposure were largely related to body fat, although age and surface area/mass modified the changes in men. The data suggest that older men are more susceptible to cold ambients than younger people, since they did not prevent a further decline in their initially relatively low Tre. Despite greater insulation from body fat, the older women maintained a constant Tre at greater metabolic cost than men or younger women.

scholarly journals The interaction of age and gender in illness narratives

2008 ◽  
Vol 28 (7) ◽  
pp. 1025-1045 ◽  
Author(s):  
CLIVE SEALE ◽  
JONATHAN CHARTERIS-BLACK
Keyword(s):  
Older Women ◽  
Medical Information ◽  
Elderly Care ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Older Men ◽  
Family Networks ◽  
Emotional Dimension ◽  
Younger Men ◽  
Research Interviews ◽  
And Gender

ABSTRACTRecognition of the greater capacity of older women to draw on supportive social networks has now supplemented an earlier focus of research into gender and ageing which portrayed older men as a ‘privileged gerontocracy’ because of their greater access to financial resources and spousal care. This study of the experiences of cancer among people of three different age groups conducted a comparative keyword analysis of their narratives to consider the gender differentiation of a third resource: access to medical information and personnel. The analysed narratives were sampled from a large archive of research interviews. It was found that older men with cancer demonstrated a greater involvement with medicine as an expert system than younger men or women or older women. This stemmed from their social confidence when interacting with doctors and their interest in treating their illness as a ‘problem’ to be fixed with medico-scientific solutions. Compared with younger men and women of all ages, older men were less likely to draw on informal social and family networks for support, or to discuss in a direct style the emotional dimension of illness experience. Our findings contrast with other studies that have reported linguistic disadvantage in older people in elderly care settings, which underlines the importance of context for linguistic studies.

scholarly journals Sarco-Osteoporosis: Prevalence and Association with Frailty in Chinese Community-Dwelling Older Adults

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yan-Jiao Wang ◽  
Yi Wang ◽  
Jun-Kun Zhan ◽  
Zhi-Yong Tang ◽  
Jie-Yu He ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Regression Analysis ◽  
Older People ◽  
Older Women ◽  
Older Men ◽  
Lower Proportion ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Chinese Older People ◽  
Osteoporosis Prevalence ◽  
Community Dwelling Older Adults

The aim was to apply AWGS criteria to estimate the prevalence of sarco-osteoporosis and investigate its relationship with frailty, in a sample of 316 community-dwelling Chinese older people. Regression analysis was performed using frailty as the dependent variable. The results showed that the prevalence rate of sarco-osteoporosis was 10.4% in older men and 15.1% in older women. ≧80 years old (OR 4.8; 95% CI, 3.05–10.76;P=0.027), women (OR 2.6; 95% CI, 1.18–2.76;P=0.036), and higher level of comorbidity (OR 3.71; 95% CI, 1.61–10.43;P=0.021) were independently associated with the likelihood of being sarco-osteoporosis. In the frail group, sarco-osteoporosis occurred in 26.3% of men, in 38.5% of women, and in lower proportion in the prefrail (13.6% of men; 16.2% of women) and nonfrail group (1.6% of men; 1.9% of women) (P<0.05, resp.). Furthermore, the likelihood of being frail/prefrail was substantially higher in the presence of sarco-osteoporosis (OR 4.16; 95% CI, 2.17–17.65;P=0.019in men; and OR 4.67; 95% CI, 2.42–18.86;P=0.007in women). The results indicate that patients with sarco-osteoporosis are more likely to be ≧80 yrs with higher burden of comorbidities and to have frailty/prefrailty, especially for women.

scholarly journals The Modifiability of the Stereotype Content Model Toward Older Adult Men and Women

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 569-569
Author(s):  
Michael Vale Toni Bisconti ◽  
Jennifer Sublett
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Older Women ◽  
Older Adult ◽  
Grocery Store ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Adult Men ◽  
Content Model ◽  
Stereotype Content ◽  
And Gender

Abstract Older adults are often stereotyped in a paternalistic manner (warm, but incompetent), deserving of assistance regardless of their need. We have examined the veracity and malleability of this paternalistic stereotype using an experimental vignette with both male and female targets. Younger adults (N = 717) deemed it more necessary and appropriate to offer unnecessary help to older adults in a grocery store scenario. Additionally, competence was malleable for both older adult male and female targets if the older adults denied the offer of help. Interestingly, older women were viewed as warm, which did not change as a function of their response, whereas older men were initially viewed as colder, but their warmth ratings increased. In light of these findings, we will discuss the intersection of age and gender when considering the malleability of the warmth and competence dimensions of the paternalistic older adult stereotype.

scholarly journals Gender Differences in the Factors Associated With the Fear of COVID-19 Among Taiwanese Older People

2021 ◽  
Vol 58 ◽  
pp. 004695802110555
Author(s):  
Yueh-Ping Li ◽  
Chung-Ying Lin ◽  
Yi-Jie Kuo ◽  
Yu-Pin Chen ◽  
Mark D. Griffiths
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
Older People ◽  
Older Women ◽  
Demographic Data ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Preventive Behaviors ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Outpatient Departments ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Positive Effect

Objectives: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, older people are threatened, and there may be different psychological responses toward COVID-19 between women and men. The present study explored the factors and gender differences related to the fear of COVID-19 among older women and men in Taiwan. Methods: Geriatric patients (n = 139; 42 men; mean age = 71.73 years) who visited outpatient departments were recruited. They self-reported demographic data and completed questions asking about (i) their fear of COVID-19, (ii) whether they paid attention to COVID-19 news, (iii) whether searched for COVID-19 news, (iv) whether they believed in COVID-19 news, and (v) their preventive COVID-19 behaviors. Results: Both women and men reported a low fear of COVID-19, paid close attention to COVID-19 news, and practiced good preventive COVID-19 infection behaviors. The perceived chance of COVID-19 infection was a significant factor contributing to the fear of COVID-19 among both women and men. Preventive behaviors had a positive effect in lowering the fear of COVID-19. News about COVID-19 had a negative effect in lowering the fear of the disease among women but not men. Conclusions: As the performing of preventive COVID-19 infection behaviors was associated with a lower fear of COVID-19, healthcare providers should consider strategies for improving preventive behaviors among older people to help ease their worries and fears concerning COVID-19.

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