Year: 2017
Type: article
Abstract: The impact of increasing life expectancy on older adults’ expectations for starting new sexual partnerships and marrying remains a relatively unexplored area in gerontology. In this study we examine the sociodemographic and attitudinal correlates of beliefs about the appropriateness of marrying at later ages, specifically whether Americans believe that women and men may become “too old” to marry. We use original data from the Cornell National Social Survey 2015, a national telephone survey of 1000 Americans (age range 18–96, M= 48.9; 50% female; 82% White, 13% Black, 11% Hispanic). Participants were asked “When does a (woman/man) become too old to marry?” Following research on ageism, predictor variables examined were participant age, education, income, sex, race/ethnicity, discrepancy between one’s actual age v. “felt” age, physical fitness, marital status, household composition, religious attendance, social/political ideology, and beliefs about when “(woman/man) enter old age.” Findings: 77% reported that they believe men and women never become too old to marry (r=.91), thus dichotomous outcomes and logistic regression were used. Older (OR= 1.02), female (OR=1.21), more educated (OR=1.16), white and more liberal participants (1.09) were significantly more likely to state that women were “never too old to marry.” Reports of “when old age begins” significantly predicted “never too old to marry” but not when age was controlled. Beliefs regarding men showed a consistent pattern. Data on participant health were not available in this dataset, which may be a limitation. These findings are interpreted using theories of ageism, beliefs about longevity, and other societal trends.
Source: Innovation in Aging
Authors: E. Wethington, R. Donoso
Institution: Cornell University
Language: English
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,977
OpenAlex ID: W2729645371