The provisioning responsibilities of older women

Conceptual frameworks that theorize relationship based work, caring and provisioning, are considered. It is argued that provisioning has greater potential for revealing the various dimensions of older women's contributions to society and citizenship claims. Data on the work and responsibilities of older women are presented. Participants belong to a group promoting public discussion on issues of security and justice for older women. This group was one of six research sites documenting the provisioning work done by women in diverse social locations. Findings reveal that older women carry large and complex provisioning responsibilities. This work is summarized under two categories: provisioning activities and provisioning strategies. Discussion of the findings focuses on three major issues facing older women: the unexpected magnitude of provisioning work they are doing; how to integrate the realities of an aging body into provisioning expectations; setting priorities when time is a scarce resource. Implications for theory and the citizenship claims of older women are considered.