Older women’s personal lives, health, and happiness

This issue focuses on the experiences of older women – their personal lives, health, and happiness. However, this commentary is primarily focused on the personal lives of older women. The social lives of older women and men are notably different – 70 percent of older men are married compared to 46 percent of women. Among older women, 33 percent of their single status has been attributed to widowhood. Demographic reports on older adults suggest older women are more likely to live alone than men (A Profile of Older Americans: 2017). Therefore, understanding the experience of older women and the implications for their quality of life is essential.

Three trends impact the social lives of older women. First, older women are reported to have longer life expectancy than their male counterparts. It is, therefore, not surprising that older women are more likely to live alone, which has implications for social support and caregiving support. For example, despite the reports of increased life expectancy amongst older men, the gender gap in life expectancy still lead to more widowed older women than men. Longer life expectancy amongst older women parallels wives outliving their husbands. Second, along with differences in life expectancy rates, there have been increases in divorce rates and rates of widowhood and single status among older women. Finally, widowed men are more likely to remarry than widowed women. With divorce rates close to 50 percent among female baby boomers, older women tend to live single (Mather, Jacobsen & Pollard, 2015).

In this issue, Ayuso’s article “New partnerships in widowhood in Spain: Realities and desires,” and Janus and Smrokowska-Reichmann’s article “Level of Happiness and Happiness-Determining Factors Perceived by Women Aged Over 60 Years” focus on the social and emotional lives of older women. Ayuso’s discussion of women’s decisions to pursue or not pursue new relationships helps understand the complications associated with widowhood. Janus and Smrokowska-Reichmann’s offers a respectful discourse on factors that determine the perception of happiness among older women. Considering 45 percent of older women 75 and older lived alone, expected social supports and caregiving that comes from a marital relationship are not available to many women.

The journal continues to focus on issues impacting the lives of women from multiple perspectives. The contributions of our international colleagues enrich our understanding of older women bringing a global perspective to this critical topic. Thank you to our many contributors, editorial board, and reviewers. If you are interested in becoming a reviewer for Women and Aging, please contact me at [email protected].