Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-2brh9 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-22T05:17:34.976Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Views of Future Aging Among Middle-Aged, University Educated Women*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 November 2010

Cécile C. Quirouette  and
Dolores Pushkar
Cécile C. Quirouette
Affiliation:
Concordia University
Dolores Pushkar
Affiliation:
Concordia University
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

This study explored middle-aged, university educated women's views of their own future aging, using a combination of qualitative and quantitative techniques. Seventy-four university graduates, aged 45 to 65, were interviewed about their views of aging and their employment histories. They also completed questionnaires measuring personality, self-efficacy, well-being, depression and social support. Content analysis of interview responses revealed that most women were optimistic about their own old age and expected overall stability in themselves, their financial situation and their relationships, with an improvement in the area of leisure. Positive expectations of stability were associated with satisfaction with oneself and past accomplishments. A typology of accommodation to future aging, derived from the data on women's expectations and preparations, captured four patterns of cognitive, affective and behavioural dynamics. Women with different accommodation types differed primarily on well-being, neuroticism and employment histories.

Résumé

Cette étude sur les perspectives de vieillissement des femmes d'âge moyen a été effectuée à partir de méthodes qualitatives et quantitatives. Soixante-quatorze diplômées universitaires âgées de 45 à 65 ans furent interviewées sur leur perspectives de vieillissement et leur histoire d'emploi, puis remplirent des questionnaires mesurant la personnalité, l'auto-efficacité, le bien-être, la dépression et le soutien social. L'analyse qualitative a révélé que la majorité des femmes étaient optimistes et s'attendaient à peu de changement en elle-mêmes, leur situation financière et leurs relations personnelles, mais à de l'amélioration dans le domaine des loisirs. Les attentes positives de stabilité étaient associées à un sentiment de satisfaction de soi et de ses réalisations passées. Une typologie d'adaptation au vieillissement anticipé a été développée sur la base des données concernant les attentes et les préparatifs des femmes. Les quatre profil-types, illustrant des dynamiques cognitives, affectives et comportementales distinctes, différaient en fonction des variables de bien-être, de névrotisme et d'histoire d'emploi.

Keywords

AgingWomenMiddle-AgedExpectationsPreparationsQualitative.Vieillissementfemmesd'âge moyenattentespréparatifsqualitative.
Type
Articles
Information
Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement , Volume 18 , Issue 2 , Été/Summer 1999 , pp. 236 - 258
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Association on Gerontology 1999

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Antonucci, T.C. (1985). Personal characteristics, social support, and social behaviour. In Binstock, R.H. and Shanas, E. (Eds.), Handbook of aging and the social sciences (2nd ed.) (pp. 94–128). New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold.Google Scholar
Arnetz, B.B., Wasserman, J., Petrini, B., Brenner, S., Levi, L., Eneroth, P., Salovaara, H., Hjelm, R., Salovaara, L., Theorell, T., & Petterson, I.-L. (1987). Immune function in unemployed women. Psychosomatic Medicine, 49, 3–12.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Atchley, R.C. (1989). A continuity theory of normal aging. The Gerontologist, 29, 183–190.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Baruch, G., Barnett, R., & Rivers, C. (1983). Lifeprints: New patterns of love and work for today's women. New York: New American Library.Google Scholar
Bearon, L.B. (1989). No great expectations: The underpinnings of life satisfaction for older women. The Gerontologist, 29, 772–778.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Berry, J.M., & West, R.L. (1993). Cognitive self-efficacy in relation to personal mastery and goal setting across the life span. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 16, 351–379.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Blishen, B.R., & Roberts, H.A. (1976). A revised socioeconomic index for occupation in Canada. Canadian Review of Sociology and Anthropology, 13, 71–79.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brody, E.M., Kleban, M.H., Johnsen, P.T., Hoffman, C., & Schoonover, C.B. (1987). Work status and parent care: A comparison of four groups of women. The Gerontologist, 27, 201–208.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cappeliez, P. (1993). Depression in elderly persons: Prevalence, predictors, and psychological intervention. In Cappeliez, P. and Flynn, R.J. (Eds.), Depression and the social environment: Research and intervention with neglected populations (pp. 333–368). Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cooper, K.L, & Gutmann, D.L. (1987). Gender identity and ego mastery style in middle-aged, pre- and post-empty nest women. The Gerontologist, 27, 347–352.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Costa, P.T. Jr & McCrae, R.R. (1985). The NEO personality inventory. Odessa FL: Psychological Assessment Resources.Google Scholar
Crosby, F.J. (1990). Divorce and work life among women managers. In Grossman, H.Y. and Chester, N.L. (Eds.), The experience and meaning of work in women's lives (pp. 121–142). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.Google Scholar
Dew, M.A., Bromet, E.J., & Penkower, L. (1992). Mental health effects of job loss in women. Psychological Medicine, 22, 751–764.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Eichorn, D.H., Mussen, P.H., Clausen, J., Haan, N., & Honzik, M.P. (1981). Overview. In Eichorn, D.H., Clausen, J.A., Haan, N., Honzik, M.P., and Mussen, P.H. (Eds.), Present and past in middle life (pp. 411–434). NY: Academic Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Feuerbach, E.H., & Erdwins, C.J. (1994). Women's retirement: The influence of work history. Journal of Women and Aging, 6, 69–85.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fingerman, K.L., & Perlmutter, M. (1994). Self-ratings of past, present, and future cognitive performance across adulthood. International Journal of Aging and Human Devepment, 38, 363–382.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Finkenauer, C., & Baumeister, R.F. (1997). L'effet des variables subjectives sur le bonheur. Résultats de la recherche et implications pour la thérapie. Revue québécoise de psychologie, 18, 99–118.Google Scholar
Fortin, D. (1988). Analyse des données qualitatives, unpublished manuscript. Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal.Google Scholar
Gold, D., & Crombie, G. (1993). Consequences of different employment patterns on older women's psychological and economic well-being. Presented at the Annual CARNET Colloquium, Toronto, June.Google Scholar
Haldemann, V. (1993). Editorial: Qualitative methods: Why? Canadian Journal on Aging, 12, 117–128.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Heckhausen, J., & Baltes, P.B. (1991). Perceived controllability of expected psychological change across adulthood and old age. Journal of time: Educated women of the twentieth century (pp. 417–443). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.Google Scholar
Hulbert, D.K. (1993). Reflections on the lives of educated women. In Hulbert, K.D. and Schuster, D.T. (Eds.), Women's lives through time: Educated women of the twenthieth century (pp. 417–443). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.Google Scholar
Jones, C.L., Marsden, L., & Tepperman, L. (1990). Lives of their own: The individualization of women's lives. Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Karp, D.A. (1988). A decade of reminders: Changing age consciousness between fifty and sixty years old. The Gerontologist, 28, 727–738.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Katz, R.S. (1990). Personality trait correlates of attitudes toward older people. International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 31, 147–159.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kilty, K.M., & Behling, J.H. (1985). Predicting the retirement intensions and attitudes of professional workers. Journal of Gerontology, 40, 219–227.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kilty, K.M., & Behling, J.H. (1986). Retirement financial planning among professional workers. The Gerontologist, 26, 525–530.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Knox, V.J., Gekoski, W.L., Johnson, E.A. (1986). Contact with and perceptions of the elderly. The Gerontologist, 26, 309–313.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kogan, N. (1979). Beliefs, attitudes, and stereotypes about old people. A new look at some old issues. In Research on Aging, Vol. 1, 11–36, London: Sage.Google Scholar
Kozma, A., & Stones, M.J. (1980). The measurement of happiness: Development of the Memorial University of Newfoundland Scale of Happiness (MUNSH). Journal of Gerontology, 35, 906–912.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kubler-Ross, E. (1969). On death and dying. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co.Google Scholar
Lasher, K.P., & Faulkender, P.J. (1993). Measurement of aging anxiety: Development of the anxiety about aging scale. International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 31, 247–259.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Levy, G. (1981). The adjustment of the older woman: Effects of chronic ill health and attitudes toward retirement. International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 12, 93–110.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McNeil, J.K., & Harsany, M. (1989). An age difference view of depression. Canadian Psychology, 30, 608–615.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Miles, M.B., & Huberman, A.M. (1984). Qualitative data analysis. London: Sage Publications.Google Scholar
National Advisory Council on Aging (NACA). The NACA position on women's life-course events. Ottawa: 1993.Google Scholar
Neugarten, B. (1968). The awareness of middle age. In Neugarten, B.L. (Ed.), Middle age and aging: A reader in social psychology (pp. 93–99). Chicago, IL: Chicago University Press.Google Scholar
Pearlin, L.I., & Schooler, C. (1978). The structure of coping. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 19, 2–21.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Radloff, L.S. (1977). The CES-D scale: A self-report depression scale for research in the general population. Applied Psychological Measurement, 1, 385–401.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Reker, G.T., Peacock, E.J., & Wong, P.T. (1987). Meaning and purpose in life and well-being: A life-span perspective. Journal of Gerontology, 42, 44–49.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Repetti, R.L., Matthews, K.A., & Waldron, I. (1989). Employment and women's health. American Psychologist, 44, 1394–1401.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Robinson, J.P., Shaver, P.R., & Wrightsman, L.S. (Eds.). (1991). Measures of personality and social psychological attitudes: Volume 1 in measures of social psychological attitudes series. San Diego, CA: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Rosenthal, C.J., Matthews, S., & Marshall, V.W. (1989). Is parent care normative? The experience of a sample of middle-aged women. Research on Aging, 11, 244–260.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rowles, G.D., & Reinharz, S. (1988). Qualitative gerontology: themes and challenges. In Reinharz, S. and Rowles, G.D. (Eds.), Qualitative gerontology (pp. 3–33). New York: Springer.Google Scholar
Ryff, C.D. (1989). In the eye of the beholder: Views of psychological well-being among middle-aged and older adults. Psychology and Aging, 4, 195–210.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ryff, C.D. (1991). Possible selves in adulthood and old age: A tale of shifting horizons. Psychology and Aging, 6, 286–295.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sarason, I.G., Levine, H.M., Basham, R.B., & Sarason, B.R. (1983). Assessing social support: The social support questionnaire. Journal of personality and Social Psychology, 44, 127–139.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Scholnick, E.K., & Friedman, S.L. (1993). Planning in context: Developmental and situational considerations. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 16, 131–167.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Statistics Canada. (1992). Autonomy and aging.Google Scholar
Tabachnick, B.G., & Fidell, L.S. (1983). Using multivariate statistics. New York: Harper & Row.Google Scholar
Taylor, S.E., & Brown, J.D. (1988). Illusion and well-being: A social psychological perspective on mental health. Psychological Bulletins, 103, 193–210.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Whitbourne, S.K., & Powers, C.B. (1994). Older women's constructs of their lives: A quantitative and qualitative exploration. International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 38, 293–306.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
White-Means, S.L, & Hersch, J. (1993). Economic viability among post-retirement aged women. Journal of Women and Aging, 4, 19–35.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wink, P., & Helson, R. (1993). Personality change in women and their partners. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 65, 597–605.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed