This article challenges the dominance of age homophily in the literature on friendship. Using findings from a recent study on intergenerational friendship, we put forward a new conceptualization of a homophily of doing-and-being in friendships between adults who are of different generations. This research took a qualitative approach using constructivist grounded theory methodology. Homophily of doing-and-being has three components: being “friends in action” (pursuing interests and leisure activities, or simply spending time together), being “not only old” (sharing identities beyond age), and sharing attitudes and approaches to friendship and life. Additionally, “differences” were an important element of interest between the intergenerational friends. Our discovery of the centrality of doing-and-being, and the relative insignificance of age homophily, constitute a novel way of looking at friendship, and a new way of conceptualizing how and why (older) adults make and maintain friendships.

A survey of the major literature of the Western World from 7 B.C. to 1900 A.D. shows that the number of elderly males portrayed was about three times that of elderly females. While certain factors such as the gender of the authors or the themes of the works, may have affected this proportion, the authors of this study believe that the much larger proportion of elderly males in the literature surveyed reflects the make-up of past societies closely enough to support Santene's contention that old age was not a female world in the past and may not be a female world everywhere in the present or in the future.

This paper substantiates many limits to the general thesis which Louise Dulude has popularized under the title: “Old Age: a Women's World”. Using old age sex ratio as an indicator, the author shows that Canada's senior population has been mostly male until recently and still keeps that majority in rural areas and agricultural milieus; one country out of six in the world today and half of 18 main ethnic groups in Ontario in 1971 were mostly male at that age.

It is concluded that one sex prevailing on the other in old age is influenced by many factors: biology, history, migrations, ethnicity, milieu (rural urban) and types of activities.