The various readings in Unit 6 discussed gender relationships and living arrangements in older adults. It is important to note that each week, I am astonished at how much I learn. I have essentially taken enough WMS courses to pick up a minor, and yet the weekly material continues to dig up scores of information that I haven’t even considered. Perhaps this is a reflection on the contemporary study of feminist issues, and it’s failure to consider the older generation in its studies and theories. I am happy to be in a class that puts focus on the older generation, as I am learning so much.
The first article I would like to speak on is, How Important is Sex Later in Life, by Gott and Hinchliff. It isn’t surprising that few studies are conducted on the importance of sex for older adults. The National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles have only recruited participants up to 44 years of age. The survey, as considered by the Department of Health, neglects to collect data from participants over 44. Personally, 44 seems like a random cut-off age- I would be curious to find out why they decided to stop collecting data after that age. There is a societal consideration that all older adults become asexual after a certain age. I’m not sure where and why this stereotype came about, because it doesn’t make much sense. The study conducted by Gott and Hinchliff found data that suggests otherwise.
The interviews were quite fascinating. All participants who had a current sexual partner attributed at least some importance to sex in their relationship. For this group, sex was seen as an important component of a close and emotional relationship. Participants put a big emphasis on the relationship aspect. For those who were uninterested in sex, their relationships simply came to a standstill. Their partners could either not perform or were no longer interested in having a sexual relationship. Besides the participants who could no longer perform, I think that the study would yield similar results in a test group of younger participants. At any age, sex drive varies from person to person, and I believe this study was a reflection of that. Unfortunately, society is quick to ignore sexual relationships among older adults.
The question now, is why? Perhaps the ignorance is society’s inclination to mark older adults as “grandparently.” Not many people want to consider their grandparents as sexually active. This brings up another important point I found in the article, Weighing the Grandma Factor, by Angier. Angier noted, “calling a woman grandmotherly is a shorthand for kindly, frail, harmless…etc.” There is a negative stigma around the word, simply because, in short, it means “old.” In my Journalism classes, we are ill advised to use the word “senior” for anyone who hasn’t called him or herself a senior directly. My teachers tell me that the word might be libelous or harmful to someone who isn’t actually a senior yet. Is growing old that horrible in our culture that calling someone a senior actually libelous? That sounds a bit crazy to me.
I reflected the knowledge I learned in the articles about living arrangements in my mini research assignment. However, I will note that the article Dying and Death in Nursing Homes, by Doress Wortes, was a moving one. It speaks about the responsibilities women hold in preparation for death of a loved one, and the grief that comes with that.
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