Multiple “Old Ages†: The Influence of Social Context on Women’s Aging Anxiety

Objectives Dominant views of aging generate anxiety for many adults—especially women, who face greater disadvantages in later life compared with men. However, little is known about changes in these concerns over time and their variation across women. Employing a feminist perspective on age relations, our study examines three social contexts affecting women’s aging anxiety—social location, health, and social relationships. Method Using a sample of women (n = 905) from Midlife in the United States (1995–1996; 2004–2006), logistic regression models examine predictors of over-time patterns in three aging anxiety sources—declining attractiveness, declining health, and reproductive aging. Results Women report more declining-health anxiety, and it remains more stable over time than do declining-attractiveness and reproductive aging anxiety—both of which tend to decrease with age. The effects of social context vary across anxiety sources; however, more favorable over-time patterns are often associated with more disadvantaged social locations (i.e., older ages, non-white, lower socioeconomic status)—but better health and social relationships. Discussion Our study, the first to examine over-time patterns in aging anxiety, illustrates women’s multiple “old ages†—a reality manifesting in not only objective conditions of later life but also perceptions of aging. It provides insight on social and cultural processes shaping aging perceptions.