scholarly journals Aging, Gender and Sexuality in Brazilian Society

2014 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 238-245 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guita Grin Debert

Drawing on the interplay between gender, aging, and sexuality, the aim of this article is twofold: (1) to show how Brazilian gerontologists treat gender differences and sexual activity in old age; (2) to analyze the  ways  discourses regarding the aging body and sexuality are perceived and evaluated by older women and men . I argue that  attempts of gerontologists’ to eroticize old age have to contend with the widespread notion that the desire for sex is inevitably lost with age. Thus, in the retiree associations that were studied, men had a tendency to assume they are not ‘old’ because their erectile function was still in good condition, and divorced or widowed women, in senior citizen associations, tend to regard themselves as happy due to having freed themselves from the sexual obligations imposed by marriage. In both cases, the dominant belief that there is a loss of sexual desire in old age was reproduced.

2021 ◽  
pp. 22-56
Author(s):  
Mira Balberg ◽  
Haim Weiss

Chapter 1 focuses on the aging body, and particularly on aspects of gender and sexuality of the aging body. Following a discussion of ancient medical theories regarding aging processes and their echoes in rabbinic texts, the chapter analyzes two rabbinic accounts regarding biblical figures whose bodies managed to defy the laws of aging. The first part of the chapter analyses the narrative of Abraham and Sarah’s return to their youth (BT Baba Metzi‘a 87a) and the vicissitudes through which their bodies went before and after the birth of Isaac, whereas the second part examines one story about King David’s sexuality in his old age (BT Sanhedrin 22a). The chapter argues that through the use of semi-mythical figures, the rabbis reveal both their desire to undo the processes of aging and their profound conviction that aging must ultimately be accepted.


2011 ◽  
Vol 59 (S 01) ◽  
Author(s):  
M Ried ◽  
C Schmid ◽  
L Rupprecht ◽  
M Hilker ◽  
C Diez

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 63-63
Author(s):  
Ethan Siu Leung Cheung ◽  
Ada Mui ◽  
Seth Hoffman

Abstract Utilizing the data in National Social Life, Health and Aging Project (n = 3,104; 54% female), the study examined the predictors of cognitive impairments in terms of community harmony, community safety, frequency of neighbor contacts, depression, and demographic factors. Bivariate analyses suggest that there were no gender differences in cognitive status (Mean of MoCA Short Form = 9.89; SD = 3.33); nor were there gender differences in age (mean age = 72.95; SD=8.29), ethnic composition (76.1% whites; 15.3% Blacks, 8.6% Asian), community harmony, community safety, frequency of neighbor contacts. On the other hand, men had more education and income than women. Psychologically, older women reported higher level of stress and depression scores than older men. Multiple regression results show that gender has a significant independent effect and joint effects with stressors and community factors in explaining cognitive impairments. Parallel regression analyses for each gender group were conducted and models were significant (P < .0001). There were common predictors of cognitive impairments for the two groups but variables had differential impacts on older men and older women. Specifically, IADL had stronger effect on older men than on older women in predicting cognitive impairments (b = -.23 vs. b=-.10); perceived community harmony had stronger impact on older women in explaining their cognitive status (b = .26 vs. b=.22); older women’s cognitive status benefitted more from perceived community safety than older men (b = .61 vs. b=.43). Regardless of gender, older Whites scored higher than Black and Asian elders in their cognition scores.


2013 ◽  
Vol 57 (3) ◽  
pp. 311-318 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yentéma Onadja ◽  
Nicole Atchessi ◽  
Bassiahi Abdramane Soura ◽  
Clémentine Rossier ◽  
Maria-Victoria Zunzunegui

ARGOMENTI ◽  
2009 ◽  
pp. 31-58
Author(s):  
Marco Accorinti ◽  
Paolo Calza Bini

- Within the research project Overcoming the barriers and seizing the opportunities for Active Ageing Policies in Europe, the Italian part being carried out by the IRPPS-CNR, there has been an in-depth study of the dynamics regarding population ageing and the social security system in Italy, in the light of the notion of activation - one of the main inspiring criteria of the European Employment Strategy. The paper presents comparative European research work that has highlighted the need to deal with the old age - social security link through an integrated group of diversified policies that consider above all employment policies, life schedules and social protection. The text furthermore presents nine European experiments of gradual retirement.Keywords: Senior citizen workers, Social security, Welfare, Leave. Parole Chiave: Lavoratori Anziani, Previdenza, Welfare, Aspettative.


2017 ◽  
Vol 75 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda B Hassing

Abstract Objectives To examine the long-term association between leisure activities in adulthood and cognitive function in old age while recognizing gender differences in activity profiles. Methods The sample included 340 cognitively healthy twins enrolled in the OCTO-Twin Study, a longitudinal study on cognitive aging. Leisure activity was measured in midlife and cognitive function in old age (mean age 83). Leisure activities covered the domains of domestic, intellectual–cultural, and self-improvement activities. The cognitive assessments comprised 5 measurement occasions (2-year intervals) covering verbal ability, spatial ability, memory, and speed. The association between leisure activity and cognitive function was estimated separately for the genders using growth curve models, adjusting for age and education. Results Men and women had the same level of total leisure activity but differed in activity profiles and in the associations between activity and cognitive function. Higher engagement in self-improvement among men was related to higher level of cognitive functioning. Among women, intellectual–cultural activity was related to better verbal ability and memory. Concerning trajectories of cognitive function, domestic activity among men was related to less decline in speed, whereas for women it was related to steeper decline in spatial ability and memory. Further, higher intellectual–cultural activity among women was related to steeper decline in memory. Discussion Cognitively stimulating activities (i.e., self-improvement and intellectual–cultural), might increase cognitive reserve whereas less cognitively stimulating activities (i.e., domestic) do not. Gender differences should be considered when examining lifestyle factors in relation to cognitive aging.


Author(s):  
Christopher Dunn

Chapter Five explores social and cultural practices that challenged traditional conventions of gender and sexuality in Brazilian society. In the late 1970s, emergent feminist and gay movements succeeded in expanding the range of leftist political debates to include discussions around gender roles, sexual desire, corporal pleasure, and other issues previously regarded as personal or private and therefore outside the realm of the political. These activists sought to link political repression to diverse forms of sexual repression such as the maintenance of male dominated gender relations, the policing of female sexuality, or the violent suppression of homosexuality. Here the author draws on the alternative press, especially the largest gay journal Lampião da Esquina. He examines here the influential work by performers who subverted gender norms, like former tropicalists Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil, the gender-bending troupe Dzi Croquettes, and gay icon Ney Matogrosso. The author also discusses left-wing intellectuals, including former guerillas such as Fernando Gabeira, who sought to redefine notions of masculinity during the final phase of military rule.


Author(s):  
Sandra Evans ◽  
Jane Garner

Old age can be a challenging time for people. It brings with it changes which include losses as well as opportunities for shifting one’s focus. Societal perceptions of ageing and projections of negative values associated with being old can act as a further blow to peoples’ general resilience. This chapter explores some of these societal projections over the centuries, in public and political life and in the arts. It examines how these influences may impact on women personally as we get older, including how we become ill psychologically and how we react to illness. What the authors consider to be important is that in late life, opportunities for restoration of the self still exist. People can and do recover from mental illness and older women can and do contribute to the wider social world in ways other than as mothers and carers.


2019 ◽  
Vol 94 (9) ◽  
pp. 1707-1717
Author(s):  
Esther García-Esquinas ◽  
Isabel Rodríguez-Sánchez ◽  
Rosario Ortolá ◽  
Esther Lopez-Garcia ◽  
Francisco Félix Caballero ◽  
...  
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