Gender, Social Inequalities, and Aging

Acknowledgments ix Introduction 1(2) A Gender Lens 3(7) Overview of the Book 10(3) A Gender Lens on Old Age 13(16) The Social Construction of Old Age 14(5) Ageism 19(8) Aging through a Gender Lens 27(2) Gender and the Study of Old Age 29(22) Introduction 29(4) Gender in the Study of Old Age 33(3) A Gender Lens on Aging 36(6) Ageism in Social Gerontology 42(5) Where Do We Go from Here? 47(4) Bodies in Old Age 51(22) The Social Significance of the Body 51(13) Growing Old in Gendered Bodies 64(6) Conclusions 70(3) Sex, Sexuality, and Old Age 73(20) The Social Construction of Sex and Sexuality 74(5) Sexuality and Old Age: What Researchers Tell Us 79(7) A Gender Lens on Sexuality and Old Age 86(7) Gender, Social Inequalities, and Retirement Income 93(28) Gender, the State, and Retirement Income: Social Security 95(4) Gender Relations in the Family and the Workplace 99(2) Pensions 101(6) Economic (In)security in Retirement 107(8) Social Security ``Reforms'' 115(6) Retirement Experiences: The Continuity of Work 121(22) The Continuity of Work 124(3) The Meaning of Work and Retirement 127(12) Discussion 139(4) Gender, Care Work, and Family in Old Age 143(36) What Is Care Work? 144(2) Care Work for the Old 146(16) Receiving Eldercare 162(4) Care Work from Old to Young 166(9) Discussion 175(4) A Gender Lens on Aging and an Aging Lens on Gender 179(26) Social Gerontology, Ageism, and Age Relations 180(7) Feminism, Ageism, and Age Relations 187(3) Theorizing Old Age 190(4) Age Relations and Social Inequalities: Freedom and In/Dependence 194(8) Conclusion 202(3) References 205(24) Index 229(8) About the Authors 237