The Role of Gender in Very Old Age: Profiles of Functioning and Everyday Life Patterns

Older men and women have different life contexts as a function of differential longevity and sociostructural opportunities over the life course. The question is whether gender-related differences also occur in psychological and everyday functioning in older adults. Examined were 258 men and 258 wome...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Psychology and aging 1998-12, Vol.13 (4), p.676-695
Main Authors: Smith, Jacqui, Baltes, Margret M
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Activities of Daily Living
Adult. Elderly
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Aging - physiology
Aging - psychology
Biological and medical sciences
Cluster Analysis
Cognitive Ability
Cohort Studies
Daily Activities
Developmental psychology
Elderly people
Everyday life
Female
Functional performance
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Gender
Health
Human
Human Sex Differences
Humans
Interpersonal Relations
Lifestyles
Male
Mental Health
Mental Processes - physiology
Older Adulthood
Older people
Patterns
Personality
Personality Traits
Psychology
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Role
Sampling Studies
Sex Characteristics
Sexes
Social Environment
Social Interaction
Very old
Well Being
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Summary:Older men and women have different life contexts as a function of differential longevity and sociostructural opportunities over the life course. The question is whether gender-related differences also occur in psychological and everyday functioning in older adults. Examined were 258 men and 258 women between the ages of 70 and 103 years ( M = 85 years), participants in the Berlin Aging Study. Significant gender differences were observed in 13 of 28 aspects of personality, social relationships, everyday activity patterns, and reported well-being. Cluster analysis identified 11 subgroups whose profiles of life conditions and health and psychological functioning could be categorized as more or less desirable (functional). The relative risk of a less desirable profile was 1.6 times higher for women than for men. For older adults, gender as a variable carries differences in physical frailty and life conditions that likely have consequences for psychological functioning.
ISSN:0882-7974
1939-1498
DOI:10.1037/0882-7974.13.4.676