Cross-cultural Perspectives on Middle-aged Women [and Comments and Replies]

Brown, Judith K.; Anderson, Jeanine; Counts, Dorothy Ayers; Datan, Nancy; Dougherty, Molly C.; Fennell, Valerie; Freed, Ruth S.; Gutmann, David L.; Jacobs, Sue‐Ellen; Raybeck, Douglas; Vatuk, Sylvia

doi:10.1086/202799

Cited by 48 publications

(14 citation statements)

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“…The different constraints and opportunities for mid-life and older African women and men, as portrayed in these case studies, support Brown's hypothesis about "mid-life women," specifically those "who have adult offspring and who are not yet frail or dependent" (Brown 1982(Brown , 1992. She suggests that as women reach middle age they experience the removal of restrictions, greater exercise of authority, and become eligible for special statuses.…”

Section: The Gendered Aging Experiencementioning

confidence: 56%

Gender, aging and power in sub-Saharan Africa: Challenges and puzzles

Udvardy

Cattell

1992

Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology

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By 2020, the absolute numbers of elderly in Africa will increase dramatically. A majority of these will be women. While we know much about the powers and authority of male elders within formal kin- and age-based structures, we know little about the lived experience of aging in Africa today, and even less about the formal and informal roles of elderly women. These ethnographic descriptions of gendered aging experiences in seven African societies examine the following little explored topics: indigenous conceptions of gender and aging; the ambiguities in women's social positions; changing family, household and marital relationships, which affect experiences of old age; older persons' access to and control over material, human and suprahuman resources; and the interplay of indigenous and modern forces. They point to future research challenges that will include understanding indigenous notions of gender and aging, and power and personhood, as they relate to personal experiences and to the ability of older women and men to assure their security in contexts of rapid social change.

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Section: The Gendered Aging Experiencementioning

confidence: 56%

Gender, aging and power in sub-Saharan Africa: Challenges and puzzles

Udvardy

Cattell

1992

Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology

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“…At this stage, the young bride/mother moves into her husband's parental household to shoulder the burden of kin-keeping activities under the supervision of her mother-in-law. Only through the birth and maturation of her children, especially sons, does the young bride/woman gain some stature in the household (Brown 1982;Yount 2005a, b). In the meanwhile, with the presence of the daughter-in-law in the family, the mother-in-law, being relieved from kin-keeping activities, becomes the center of authority within the family and engages in a wide variety of social activities including public activities.…”

Section: Older Adults In the Middle East And Egyptmentioning

confidence: 99%

Differences in Levels of Social Integration among Older Women and Men in Egypt

Khadr

2011

J Cross Cult Gerontol

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The current study explores factors underlying the observed gender differences in levels of social integration among older adults within the context of the Arab countries. Reports on older adults' engagement in social activities were classified into two broad categories; "private activities that are child-centered" and "public activities that are adult-centered and extend beyond the realm of the family's children." Findings revealed that gender differences in older adults' involvement in both types of activities were found to be insignificant, a result that indicates older women's withdrawal from shouldering private-type activities and their increase engagement in public-type activities. Patrilocal residence, which is very common in the Arab countries, exhibited two different patterns of effects on levels of social integration. It increased older adults' reports of involvement in private-type activities in general, but decreases older women's reports of their involvement in these activities. Modernization and its impact on older adults' levels of social integration were also investigated in terms of both education and urban/rural residence. Education was positively correlated with older adults' engagements in private-type activities, but not public-type activities. Urban residence and living in a less restricted social environment in general was associated with decreases in older adults' reports of their involvement in private-type activities. Nevertheless, older women residing in urban settings were found to report more involvement in both private and public activities. The current study highlights the need for more future studies that explore aspects of older adults' integration within the family and the community, the interplay between attributes of older adults and members of their social network as well as the impact of social integration on the well-being of older adults within various normative cultural contexts.

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“…In commenting on the paucity of cross-cultural research on middleaged women, Brown (1982) suggests that this state of affairs is due both to a lack of appropriate ethnographic data and difficulties in defining middle age. Brown (1982: 143) defines middle-aged women "... as mothers who are not yet aged but who have adult offspring."…”

Section: Perspectives On Agementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Similarly, Rubin (1979) suggests that mid-life begins for women when their children are grown. There are two major problems with both Rubin's (1979) and Brown's (1982) definitions of middle age. First, these definitions exclude women who are not mothers.…”

Section: Perspectives On Agementioning

confidence: 99%

Feeling older and wanting to be younger

Barbee

1988

J Cross-Cultural Gerontol

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Two samples of middle-aged women were compared using a questionnaire adapted from Rossi (1980). One sample (N = 20) consisted of women who felt older than and desired to be younger than their own age. The second sample (N = 19) was comprised of women who felt and desired to be their own age. Statistically significant differences between the groups were that women who felt older reported more physical changes of aging, less satisfaction with their life context, and more worries than the women who felt their chronological age. Results of this study suggest that current life stress contributes to middle-aged women's perceptions of feeling older and desiring to be younger than their own age.

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Cross-cultural Perspectives on Middle-aged Women [and Comments and Replies]

Cited by 48 publications

References 0 publications

Gender, aging and power in sub-Saharan Africa: Challenges and puzzles

Gender, aging and power in sub-Saharan Africa: Challenges and puzzles

Differences in Levels of Social Integration among Older Women and Men in Egypt

Feeling older and wanting to be younger

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