Going solo : findings from a survey of women aging without a partner and who do not have children
Hafford-Letchfield, Trish and Lambert, Nicky and Long, Ellouise and Brady, Dominique (2017) Going solo : findings from a survey of women aging without a partner and who do not have children. Journal of Women and Aging, 29 (4). pp. 321-333. ISSN 1540-7322 (https://doi.org/10.1080/08952841.2016.1187544)
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Abstract
Greater longevity in the UK population has led to the increasing diversity of women experiencing aging in a multitude of ways. Internationally, gender inequalities in aging are still relatively invisible within both government policy and everyday life for particular groups of women. This article explores the concept of women growing older “solo”—by which we mean women who find themselves nonpartnered and aging without children as they move into later life. We report on the findings from a mixed-methods survey of 76 solo women in the UK aged 50 years and over, used to provide a broader overview of the issues and challenges they face as they move into later life. Qualitative data from the survey captured respondents’ perspectives about the links between their relationships status and well-being in later life and highlighted specific cumulative disadvantages emerging for some women as a result of their solo lifestyles. We discuss two key themes that were identified, “solo-loneliness” and “meaningful futures,” in conjunction with the relevant literature and make suggestions for future research within gender and aging studies that could enhance more positive approaches to solo lifestyles.
ORCID iDs
Hafford-Letchfield, Trish ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0105-0678, Lambert, Nicky, Long, Ellouise and Brady, Dominique;-
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Item type: Article ID code: 74520 Dates: DateEvent4 July 2017Published15 August 2016Published Online21 April 2016AcceptedSubjects: Social Sciences > The family. Marriage. Women Department: Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (HaSS) > Social Work and Social Policy > Social Work and Social Policy Depositing user: Pure Administrator Date deposited: 05 Nov 2020 14:53 Last modified: 21 Nov 2024 01:19 Related URLs: URI: https://strathprints.strath.ac.uk/id/eprint/74520