Content area
Full Text
This study explores gender differences in older widowed persons' interest in dating and remarriage, and the implications of these desires for psychological adjustment to loss. Analyses are based on the Changing Lives of Older Couples study (N = 210). Men's interest in dating and remarriage is conditional upon the amount of social support received from friends. Six months after spousal loss, only those men with low or average levels of social support from friends are more likely than women to report interest in remarrying someday. Similar patterns emerge for interest in dating 18 months after loss. Persons who both want and have a romantic relationship report significantly fewer depressive symptoms 18 months after loss, yet this relationship is attributable to their greater socioeconomic resources.
Key Words: bereavement, dating, older adults, psychological adjustment, remarriage, widowhood.
The gender gap in late life remarriage, where widowers are more likely than widows to remarry, has been explained by the adage "women mourn, men replace." The implication of this characterization is that heartbroken widows mourn the loss of their irreplaceable late husbands, whereas widowed men quickly find a helpmate and confidante to take the place of their late wives. The gender gap in remarriage also reflects partner availability: Older women outnumber their male peers, and many face demographic obstacles to remarriage even if they are positively disposed to the idea (U.S. Census Bureau, 2003). If legal remarriage status is used as the sole indicator of repartnering after spousal loss, gender-typed assumptions about bereavement, such as "women mourn, men replace," inevitably are perpetuated. A richer understanding of adaptation to spousal loss may be obtained by investigating older widows' and widowers' interest in postloss romantic relationships.
This study examines gender differences in the desire for a romantic relationship among older widowed persons in the United States, and the psychological consequences of having fulfilled such preferences. Using data from the Changing Lives of Older Couples (CLOC) study, I explore three questions: (a) Do widowed men and women differ in their preferences for dating and remarriage in the short term (6 months) and longer term (18 months) following spousal loss? (b) To what extent can the observed gender gap in repartnering preferences be explained by gender differences in lhe perceived benefits and strains...