Women Growing Older

Until now, little existed in the way of a theory of gender and aging. This volume fills the void. Rich with primary data, Women Growing Older presents new research on older women and relates it to the psychology of adult development and aging. After an introductory chapter that brings together conceptions of gender and aging, well-known contributors examine how women decide to balance work and career, marriage and motherhood, and the results of such life decisions. The authors then take an adult life-span approach to Americans′ gender and racial stereotypes of young, middle-aged, and elderly women. A penetrating historical analysis of cultural images and the nature of cognition, mind, and creativity follows. The contributors also present a life-span approach to attachment theory and women′s social relations. They also take a look at the relevance of psychodynamic theories for understanding gender among older women. Students, researchers, and professionals in the fields of aging, gender, psychology, sociology, family studies, social work, and nursing will appreciate the excellent material and insights contained in Women Growing Older. "Women Growing Older is a powerful and a highly technical book. . . . The authors describe how the focus on sex differences rather than on similarities serves to perpetuate male dominance. Their research findings demonstrate that resulting sex differences are invariably used against women. Sex roles are internalized early in life by the process of social learning and socialization; these are then enacted into adulthood in different social settings. Their research looks at the content of gender stereotypes and they then explores the process that people use in deciding what other people are like." --Journal of Mental Health and Aging "This edited book has several major strengths. A portion of the book addresses the ways in which women balance work and family and the consequences of these decisions or ′choices′ in late life. Such research is timely and especially challenging given the differential experience of successive cohorts that accompanies historical shifts in assessments of family life. Given its importance, this topic could fill an entire text itself. . . . This volume provides an important contribution to the literature. It is a valuable resource for the college or master′s level student of psychology, women′s studies, and gerontology." --Journal of Women and...