Unclaimed treasures: Older women's reflections on lifelong singlehood
Unclaimed treasures: Older women's reflections on lifelong singlehood
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DOI：
10.1300/j074v16n01_08
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发表时间：
2004-01-01
影响因子：
1.5
通讯作者：
Baumbusch, JL
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Baumbusch, JL
一直单身的老年女性是一个多样化的群体，她们的单身经历几乎没有受到研究人员的关注。在这项定性研究中，8名居住在安大略省西南部一座中等规模城市的65岁至77岁的女性接受了关于单身的采访，包括她们对目前年龄单身的好处和缺点的看法。数据收集采用半结构式访谈，采用恒定比较法进行数据分析。新出现的主题说明了单身女性的故事是如何受到她们年轻时的社会政治背景的影响的。经过反思，这些女性阐明了终身单身的好处，强烈强调她们的独立和“独处的能力”，这被认为是随着年龄的增长而非常重要的。单身的缺点集中在孤独和缺乏社会支持网络上，随着女性年龄的增长和身体的虚弱，这一点变得尤为重要。总体而言，参与者对自己的婚姻状况表示满意，并打破了对年长的单身女性的常见刻板印象。这些研究结果涉及婚姻状况的社会结构及其对单身妇女生活的影响。
Ever-single, older women are a diverse group, whose experiences of singlehood have received little attention from researchers. In this qualitative study, eight women between the ages of 65 and 77 living in a mid-sized Southwestern Ontario city were interviewed about being ever single, including their perspectives of the benefits and drawbacks of this status at their current age. Data were collected in semi-structured interviews, and the constant comparative method was used for data analysis. Emergent themes illustrated how the women's stories of singlehood were affected by the sociopolitical contexts of their youth. Upon reflection, the women articulated the benefits of lifelong singlehood, strongly emphasizing their independence and "ability to be alone," which was viewed as very important as they aged. The drawbacks of singlehood focused on loneliness and the absence of a social support network, which took on particular importance as the women experienced increasing age and frailty. Overall, the participants expressed satisfaction with their marital status and defied common stereotypes about older, single women. Implications of these findings relate to the social structure of marital status and its impact upon the lives of women who remain single.