Remarried Men and Remarried Women

The study of remarriage after divorce has by and large been ignored by family sociologists. Previous studies on remarriage focused primarily on the individual's adjustment to or the aftermath of remarriage. Employing 1972-82 General Social Survey data, 1 use regression techniques to investigate the relationship between socioeconomic variables and the state of remarriage, for divorced men and women. I test the hypotheses that for men, education, occupation and income level are positively related to remarriage, while for women these variables are inversely associated with remarriage. As hypothesized, highly educated divorced women are less likely to be remarried, as are divorced women who are occupationally and financially independent. The important factor for divorced women considering remarriage is whether or not they are working. Divorced men, on the other hand, are likely to be remarried when they are older and have higher incomes. Unexpectedly, education is inversely related to remarriage for divorced men.     

“You're not getting married for the moon and the stars”: The uncertainties of older British widowers about the idea of new romantic relationships

Older widowers are more likely to remarry than older widowed women. However, relatively little is known about the attitudes of older widowers to new romantic relationships and remarriage or repartnering. In this study of 60 widowers, more than half spontaneously discussed their attitudes toward, and experiences of, these relationships. However, none of the widowers had remarried and of those who described themselves as repartnered only one was cohabiting. We examine these data in the light of Lopata's concept of ‘husband sanctification’ (1981). We identify four themes. First, some widowers do sanctify their late wives. Second, we argue that wife sanctification contributes to widowers' uncertainties about repartnering. Third, when widowers make decisions to repartner, wife sanctification does not appear to make an important contribution. Finally, there is evidence to suggest that wife sanctification influences how men refer to their new women friends. Thus, we conclude by arguing that wife sanctification influences widowers' decisions surrounding remarriage/repartnering.     

SEPARATED WOMEN AND REMARRIAGE BEHAVIOR

It has been established that women of higher socio-economic status (SES) tend to remarry less and less rapidly after divorce than women who are less educated and less independent financilly. Using an exchange theory model, it is assumed that higher SES women stand to gain less from remarriage than lower SES women. In-depth interviews of separated/divorced women, thirteen at a higher SES and thirteen at a lower SES, explored the hypothesis that women who are financially secure behave differently towards potential mates than do women who are less secure financially. The results show that financially secure women have more opportunities to meet men, have more dates, and have more steady relationships than the others. But, in support of the hypothesis, they are more likely to break up relationships that do not suit them, they are less likely to tolerate abusive male behavior towards them, and less likely to flatter a man's ego. They display some behavior which is dysfunctional on the remarriage market. The discussion of the results focuses on the interrelation between socio-economic variables and personality/behavioral variables, including dependency and self-esteem.     

Attitudes About Remarriage in Malta

This study investigated the attitudes about remarriage of married and previously married Maltese people. Respondents were selected using stratified random sampling; 810 men and 1,196 women answered a questionnaire by means of computer-assisted telephone interviewing. The majority (67.4%) of respondents did not consider remarriage. Remarriage was more likely to be considered by respondents who were younger, previously married, nonparents, had children who were not all born within marriage, and were of higher socioeconomic status. The study highlights the differences in attitude according to gender and marital status. The fact that pro-remarriage attitudes were endorsed by 32.6% of respondents and that these were more likely to come from nontraditional family forms suggests that family life in Malta is no longer dictated by normative social imperatives. The need for the legal protection of families headed by cohabiting partners is highlighted.     

From attitudes to social networks: National gender-role attitudes and gender differences in late-life social relationships

Studies often find gender differences in social networks in later life, but are these findings universal, or do they differ in various cultural contexts? To address this research gap, the current study examines the association between gender differences in social relationships and country-level gender-role attitudes. We combined data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) of individuals aged 50 years and older with country-level data on gender-role attitudes from the European Values Survey (EVS) for 15 European countries. We estimated a series of multivariate hierarchical regression models that predicted the size of the personal social network, its emotional closeness, and the proportion of the spouse, children, and friends in the network. The results indicated gender differences in social network characteristics. Women reported larger social networks and were more likely to have larger proportions of children and friends but smaller proportions of the spouse in their social networks. The magnitude of gender differences was associated with country-level gender-role attitudes. In countries with more egalitarian gender-role attitudes, women had larger networks with a larger proportion of friends compared to men. In countries with more traditional gender-role attitudes, women had larger proportions of their children and spouse in their social networks and had emotionally closer networks. Our findings suggest that the societal context and opportunity structures for social interactions play an important role in shaping the structure of women’s and men’s social relationships in later life.     

Attitudes Toward Inheritance Following Divorce and Remarriage

The purpose of this study is to examine attitudes regarding who should be included in wills following divorce and remarriage. Respondents were 268 men and 439 women. In mailed vignettes, they indicated whom they thought should be included in an elder's will. Three variables were examined: (a) family closeness, (b) contact after divorce, and (c) remarriage. Three factors were associated with inheritance obligations: (a) genetic ties, (b) patriarchal lineage, and (c) family ties, which were defined more broadly than genetic relationships. Few respondents mentioned factors such as family closeness and reciprocity. There was little agreement regarding who is and who is not in the family, but inheritance clearly was limited to family. Obligation to include the next of kin in the will supersedes obligations based upon closeness and frequency of contact.     

Continued Pursuit of Happily Ever After: Low Barriers to Divorce and Happiness

Throughout the 1970s, a “no-fault revolution” swept through the United States, reducing the legal and economic barriers to divorce. Previous studies have found that these legal changes did at least temporarily increase divorces, and may have been, on average, detrimental to women’s economic well-being. It has also been suggested that reducing the barriers to divorce redistributed power to spouses with better predicted outcomes on the remarriage market. In keeping with this theory, the current study examined men and women ages 25–50 as they transitioned to low-barriers to divorce regimes. My data show that reductions in the barriers to divorce were associated with reductions in women’s happiness, particularly among older women and women with children. Conversely, older men and men with children (these women’s potential partners) reported on average higher happiness after low barriers to divorce. These relationships were found even for individuals who remained married, suggesting that this redistribution of happiness was in part the result of a change in bargaining power within marriages.     

“Once Bitten,Twice Shy? Gender Differences in the Remarriage Decision after a Gray Divorce”

Gray divorces, or divorces at and over the age of 50, are increasing in the United States. This article explores this population's interest in remarrying after a divorce by sex within the context of a prospective, role exit theoretical framework. In‐depth, qualitative interviews with 40 women and 39 men who have experienced a gray divorce were analyzed using grounded theory methodology. There were significant gender differences with respect to receptivity to remarriage among those who had undergone a gray divorce. More specifically, the most common theme expressed by women involved firmly rejecting remarriage as a part of their futures. The remaining themes articulated by women were conditional pro‐remarriage views and then even less commonly, unconditional pro‐remarriage views. In contrast, the most common theme among men was that they remained very open to remarriage, either unconditionally or under specified conditions; only a small number rejected the prospect entirely. These findings highlight the differences in the remarriage decision from both the female and male perspectives for this population.     

Self-Other Orientation and Sex-Roles Orientation of Men and Women Who Remarry

Remarried men and women were more oriented to a balance between self interests and the other's interest in the remarriage decision than in the first marriage decision. In-depth interviews showed that these men and women used a similar balance when making the remarriage decision but that they arrived there by different avenues. The balance came from the women beginning to include self interests more and the men beginning to include the other's interest more. These remarried men and women also perceived themselves to be more nontraditional in sex-role orientation at the remarriage decision. Gilligan's Ethic of Care, a cogtnitive theory, was used to explain the change in self-other and sex-role orientation. Recommendations were made for using this theoretical framework in marital therapy.     

The desire to date and remarry among older widows and widowers

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.     

Public attitudes towards human life extension by intervening in ageing

A number of biogerontologists have expressed an interest in intervening in the ageing process in order to extend the human life span. This study explored the attitudes of members of the Australian public towards the potential development and use of life-extension technologies and their attitudes towards the ethical, social and personal implications of life extension. Participants were presented with a vignette outlining the prospect of a “life-extension pharmaceutical” that could increase maximum life span by slowing the ageing process. While 65% supported such research, only 35% said that they would use a life-extension technology if one became available. Men were more supportive of research and more disposed to use life-extension technologies than women. Concerns about the potential ethical, social and personal implications predicted levels of overall support for, and intention to use, life-extension technologies. Our survey suggests that public attitudes towards life extension are neither overwhelmingly “pro” or “con” and in fact more nuanced than either proponents or opponents of life extension have often assumed.     

Attitudes and knowledge of social work students towards sexuality in later life

Background: Sexuality in later life may be compromised by restrictive attitudes, and lack of knowledge among professionals. This study examined social work students’ attitudes and knowledge towards sexuality and sexual expression in later life and investigated associated factors.

Method: Undergraduate social work students from Israel (n = 375) completed the Attitudes and Knowledge towards Older Adult’s Sexuality Scale and questionnaires regarding contacts and exposure to older adults, prior sexual education and sociodemographic.

Results: Attitudes and knowledge were correlated. First year students were the most conservative and demonstrated the least knowledge. No differences were found between men and women regarding attitude. However, men and married students had greater knowledge regarding older adults’ sexuality than women or non-married students did. Increased religious observance predicted more conservative attitudes. Age predicted more permissive attitudes and greater knowledge about sexuality in later life. A mediating process examined, suggested knowledge is a mediator variable between age and attitudes towards older adults’ sexuality.

Conclusion: As the population in Israel and in Western countries ages, it is important to examine the knowledge and attitudes of social work students regarding older adults’ sexuality and to develop educational and interventional programs aimed at increasing awareness, knowledge, and positive attitudes in this area.     

Homonegativity in Britain: Changing Attitudes Towards Same-Sex Relationships

Over recent decades, British attitudes towards same-sex relationships have become more accepting. However, results from the National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles show that, in 2010, around a fifth of 16–59-year-olds still viewed sex between two men or two women as ‘always wrong’. Using data from each edition of this survey (1990, 2000, 2010), we investigated which individuals are more likely to regard same-sex relationships as wrong and how this has changed over time. Using various measures of individual characteristics, the results showed sex, religiosity, ethnicity, education and whether someone has ever experienced same-sex attraction were most strongly associated with homonegative attitudes. We show that religiosity and ethnicity became more strongly associated with homonegativity between 1990 and 2010, with religiosity replacing education as the characteristic most associated with homonegativity by 2010; explanations for these changes are offered. Further results show that attitudes towards one night stands are also associated with attitudes towards same-sex relationships. This suggests that falling rates of homonegativity might (in part) be explained by a general liberalization in attitudes towards non-traditional sexual relationships.     

Differences Between College Students from Divorced and Intact Families

We examined five hundred college students from intact and divorced families along several measures of adjustment. Further, comparisons within the divorce group were made across gender and number of years since the divorce with the covariates of parents' marital happiness prior to the divorce, remarriage, and who the student lived with after the divorce statistically controlled. Measures of adjustment included sexual behavior, attitudes toward marriage, depression, self-esteem, and general psychological functioning (pathology, anxiety, expression). Multivariate analyses of variance indicated that students from divorced families had significantly more sexual partners and more negative attitudes toward marriage than students from intact families. In addition, a significantly higher percentage of women from divorced families had had sexual intercourse as compared to women from intact families. Finally, women with parents that divorced within the past year were significantly more expressive than women with parents that divorced more than five years ago and more expressive than men with parents that had divorced within the past five years. The results are discussed in terms of the resolution of intimacy issues for college students with divorced parents and implications are drawn.     

Sexual Activity During Menstruation: A Qualitative Study

This study utilized a grounded theory method to analyze qualitative narratives about sexuality and menstruation from 108 young women (ages 18–23; M = 19.8, SD = 1.07) and 12 young men (ages 18–24; M = 20.4, SD = 1.46). Five patterns were found: Sixteen women identified themselves as virgins and had not faced the issue of negotiating sex during menstruation. Among the 92 women who said they were sexually active, 37 women said they would never have intercourse during menstruation, eight women said they tried it once but never would again, and seven women said they rarely would and only under certain conditions. The largest group, 40 women, said they do have menstrual sex. Compared to the other groups, more of the women who do have sex during menstruation were in committed relationships, and none espoused a discourse of disgust. Considering the 12 men, three were virgins. Among the nine sexually experienced men, seven said they did have sex with a menstruating partner. Young adults who were comfortable with menstrual sex saw it as just another part of a committed intimate relationship.     

An Exploratory Examination of the Effect of Remarriage on Child Support and Personal Contacts

This paper examines the re-ordering of role relationships occurring after remarriage, and their effect on child support and personal contacts. Comparisons are made for three marital statuses-separation, divorce and the remarriage of either exspouse. Data were collected from a convenience sample of 101 divorced men, The findings suggest that voluntary support increases after the remarriage of the father but decreases with the remarriage of the exwife. Visiting frequency decreases, while visiting length increases with the remarriage of either exspouse. Phone calls remain relatively constant. An examination of ten intervening variables suggests that geographic distance, religion, social class, the attitude of the exwife toward the continuing father-child relationship and continuity of support payments act to reduce visiting frequency but have no effect on voluntary support. The data analysis indicates that the complexity of role configurations created by remarriage produces effects that have not received sufficient attention among researchers. Suggestions are made for further research.     

Past‐Year Sexual Inactivity Among Older Married Persons and Their Partners

Family scholars have focused on the onset of sexual activity early in the life course, but little is known about the cessation of sexual activity in relationships in later life. We use event‐history analysis techniques and logistic regression to identify the correlates of sexual inactivity among older married men and women. We analyze data for 1,502 married people from the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project, a nationally representative sample of 3,005 noninstitutionalized American men and women ages 57 to 85. We find 29% of the married persons report no sexual activity for the previous 12 months or more. Relationship duration, chronological age, and poor physical health are all independently associated with sexual inactivity. Characteristics such as marital happiness, premarital cohabitation, and remarriage are also associated with levels of inactivity or activity. Analyses also point to gender differences in the correlates of sexual inactivity.     

Social work values,anti-discriminatory practice and working with older lesbian service users

It has been suggested that social workers are not adequately meeting the needs of lesbians and gay men. This paper explores some of these concerns with reference to social work's theoretical underpinnings and value-base in relation to working with older, non-heterosexual women. The paper considers some of the particular issues that affect the lives and needs of older women whose primary relationships are or have been with other women. It concludes with a discussion of ways in which such issues may be addressed in social work education, training and practice.     

Challenging machismo: promoting sexual and reproductive health with Nicaraguan men

This article presents the results of a participatory exploration of male attitudes towards sexual and reproductive health issues in Nicaragua. Nicaraguan culture views men in a machismo concept. The study examined the knowledge, attitudes and behavior of men in relation to the social construction of masculinity: sexuality, reproduction, and fatherhood. Employing 90 men from both rural and urban communities, attitudes towards sexuality, reproduction, abortion and fatherhood were discussed. Several insights were gathered from the research, which explains men's behavior. Thus, it was deemed imperative that in empowering women by promoting sexual and reproductive health among men would require challenging male hegemony and persuading men to participate in health promotion. However, the setting and application of a men's agenda for sexual health promotion should not result in the curtailment of services for women because funds are being reallocated to men, nor should it give men the opportunity to more subtle forms of domination and exploitation.