Variation in Subjective Aging Across Gender and Sexual Identities

• In Event: 3260 - Emergent Perspectives on Age and Aging

Abstract

This paper reports findings from a qualitative investigation of subjective aging across gender and sexual identities. Scholars have recently turned their attention to the aging experiences of sexual minorities however, their research often focuses on health, social support, and income. Drawing on 40 in-depth interviews with middle-age individuals of various gender and sexual identities, I analyze differences in how interviewees perceive aging--for example, their aging anxieties, attitudes about later life, age identities, and perceptions of life course stage timing. Although perceptions of aging are strong predictors of our health and well-being, they have received little research attention, particularly focusing on variation by gender and sexuality. Further, this study also examines how gender and sexual identity influence individual’s strategies for coping with aging anxiety. This paper concludes by arguing for the importance of accounting for sexual identity when analyzing experiences of subjective aging.

Author

• Harry Barbee, Florida State University