Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka hur fyra kvinnor över 75 år upplever jämlikhet i sina liv, med avseende på ålder, genom att göra intervjuer utifrån en fenomenologisk ansats. Ansatsen medförde utgångspunkten att det är individers upplevelser i sin vardagliga värld som har betydelse för att skapa förståelse. Analytiska verktyg i studien har varit delar av Bourdieus teori i Modeskaparen och hans märke, samt Elias och Scotsons teori i Etablerade och outsiders. De intervjuade kvinnorna framhöll att de upplevde sig bli väl bemötta i samhället. Jag finner dock att det, i deras berättelser, går att återfinna inslag av stigmatisering i äldres liv. Detta tar sig bland annat uttryck i att äldres delaktighet i samhället begränsas och att de uppmanas att orientera sig mot centrala delar av yngres värderingar. För att lyckas med det sistnämnda argumenteras det för att det blir särskilt viktigt för äldre att visa sig självständiga. En möjlig anledning till detta föreslås vara att kvinnorna levt hela sina liv i en välfärdsstat där beroende av andra individer inte har varit nödvändigt. / The aim of this study was to explore how four women over the age of 75 experience equality in their lives with respect to age, by conducting interviews from a phenomenological approach. The point of departure was that it is the experiences of individuals in their life world that is of relevance when striving for understanding. Analytical tools in this study have been parts of the theory presented by Bourdieu in Modeskaparen och hans märke, along with parts of the theory presented by Elias and Scotson in The Established and the Outsiders. The interviewed women emphasised that they perceived themselves to be treated well in society. However, I find that it, in the narratives of the women, is possible to identify elements of stigmatisation in the lives of older people. This is, among other ways, expressed when older people’s participation in society is limited, and when they are encouraged to orient themselves to central aspects of younger peoples values. To achieve the last it is argued that independence is of special importance for older people. One possible reason for this is suggested to be that the women have spent their whole lives in a welfare state where a dependence on other individuals has not been necessary.

The gay male community has traditionally been a marginalized population struggling for acceptance within the larger international frame. However since the development of gay magazine publications in the 1990s images of the gay male have been more widely spread throughout mainstream society. This study explores how race, age, body image, and sexuality are stereotyped to represent one standard image of the gay male as found in Western gay magazine publications. This is a quantitative media analysis, examining images, covers and advertisements in gay male magazines over a period of four years. By engaging in relevant theoretical discourses, empirical evidence, and scholarly research, this study critically analyzes how the gay identity is mediated by both the mainstream and gay publications. Results from the analysis points to wide spread discrimination within gay publications targeted at all gay minorities, which could have detrimental effects on the gay community.

Despite the growing feminist discourse in America, ageism continues to be a problem, partially due to stereotypical representations of aging women in the media and in literature. This thesis examines the portrayals of aging women in four American dramas: Zona Gale’s Miss Lulu Bett, Edward Albee’s The American Dream and The Sandbox, and Tracey Letts’ August: Osage County. Each of the aging matriarchs in these dramas plays a different role within her family structure; however, all employ others’ perceptions of them as a means of gaining or keeping control over their own situation. Chapter 1 examines Mrs. Bett from Zona Gale’s Miss Lulu Bett, and how she uses the way she is perceived by her family as a means of helping her daughter, even though her own fate is set. Chapter 2 explores the character Grandma from Edward Albee’s The American Dream and The Sandbox, and the ways in which Grandma uses her family’s perception of her, as well as her own rhetoric about aging, to establish her own selfdefinition. Chapter 3 discusses Violet, the matriarch of the family in Tracey Letts’s August: Osage County, and how she uses the way her family perceives her as a way to control the family’s destruction.

The aim of this thesis is to explore purpose in life among very old people. The proportion of elderly is increasing in Sweden, especially among the group of very old aged over 85 years. Ageing has been associated from some perspectives with health, wisdom, maturity, and inner strength. Ageing can also, however, lead to reduced physical function, cognitive impairments, and loss of purpose in life. A loss of purpose in life can lead to mental health problems such as depression. This thesis is part of the Umeå 85 + study/GERDA begun in 2000. Half of all 85-year-olds, all 90-year-olds, and all those 95 years of age or older living in the municipality of Umeå were invited to the larger study, which was expanded in 2002 to include five rural municipalities in Västerbotten County with the same inclusion criteria. The Umeå 85 + study/GERDA is a collaborative project between several departments at Umeå University. Selection criteria for participants in the thesis were the ability to answer Likert-type questionnaires and the ability to participate in interviews. A follow-up study was conducted in Umeå in 2005 and in Västerbotten County in 2007. Paper I is a cross-sectional study with 189 participants (120 women and 69 men) who had responded to several questionnaires including the Purpose in Life test (PIL). In the results women scored significantly lower on the PIL test than men; attitudes towards one’s own aging were associated with purpose in life for both men and women; and musculoskeletal disorders were associated with lower purpose in life in women. Paper II includes the 189 participants from study I. In results at baseline the 40 who were diagnosed with depression had significantly lower purpose in life, and women were diagnosed with depression more often than men (32/120 women and 8/69 men). The 40 participants with a diagnosis of depression were excluded five years later, when 78 of 149 participants were available for the follow-up, 21 of whom (26.9%) had developed depression. There was no difference in the mean scores on the PIL test between those who had developed depression and those who had not. Purpose in life does not seem to protect very old people from developing depression. Paper III includes 51 people who responded to the PIL test on two occasions five years apart, and its results show that purpose in life decreased after five years. There was no difference in mean PIL scores at baseline between those with a diagnosis of depression and those without depression, but purpose in life declined significantly over the five years in those with diagnosed depression. In study IV, to gain a deeper understanding of purpose in life, content analysis was conducted on interviews from 30 women. To obtain 5 variety and breadth in the stories we selected 10 women with low estimated purpose in life, 10 women with undecided estimated purpose, and 10 women with high estimated purpose in life. The results show that despite the fact that women estimated their purpose in life lower than men, their stories were positive. The women experienced purpose in their daily life where social relations was important and on a spiritual level. However, there were also expressions of experiencing life as simply existing. In Study V we included 23 men who had responded to a question about purpose in life. Their answers were subjected to content analysis and the results show that for men work is an important part of purpose in life. All men except one had a positive outlook on life, and the men found purpose in life most strongly in memories of when they were younger. Lack of purpose in life can result in mental disorders like depression. Stereotypes of older people can affect their views of their own ageing, which in turn can weaken their purpose in life. To prevent mental illness it is important to experience purpose in life throughout life. Society at large and the health care system must consider purpose in life integral to mental health and work to combat ageist stereotypes to support purpose in life through the entire lifespan. / Det övergripandet syftet med avhandlingen är att utforska livsmening hos de allra äldsta. Andelen äldre ökar i Sverige, och de allra äldsta över 85 år har under åren 1990-2007 ökat med 40 %. Att åldras har beskrivits från olika perspektiv som att ha hälsa, mogna till visdom samt att ha inre styrka. Att åldras kan också innebära en försämrad rörelse förmåga, kognitiva nedsättningar samt förlust av livsmening. En förlust av livsmening kan leda till psykisk ohälsa vilket kan leda till depression. Avhandlingen är en del av Umeå 85+ studien/GERDA vilken utgår från Umeå och startade år 2000. Hälften av alla 85 åringar, alla 90 åringar samt alla som var 95 år och äldre boende i Umeå kommun inbjöds till studien. Studien utvidgades år 2002 med att innefatta fem inlandskommuner i Västerbottens län med samma urvalskriterier. Umeå 85+ studien är ett samarbetes projekt mellan ett flertal institutioner vid Umeå Universitet. Urvalskriterierna för deltagarna i avhandlingen var att de skulle kunna svara på frågeformulär av Likert karaktär samt att de skulle orka delta i intervjuer. En uppföljning genomfördes år 2005 i Umeå kommun samt år 2007 i Västerbottens inland. Delarbete I är en tvärsnitts studie och innefattar 189 personer fördelat på 120 kvinnor och 69 män, alla deltagarna hade svarat på ett flertal frågeformulär varav ett av formulären var test för livsmening. Resultatet visar att kvinnor skattar livsmeningen signifikant lägre än män. Egna attityder mot åldrande var starkast associerat med livsmening för både kvinnor och män, för kvinnor var även muskeloskeletala besvär associerat med lägre livsmening. Delarbete II innefattar vid baslinjen de 189 personerna från studie I. Resultatet vid baslinjen visar att de 40 deltagarna av de 189 deltagarna som var diagnostiserade som deprimerade hade signifikant lägre livsmeningen. Kvinnor var diagnostiserade som deprimerade i högre utsträckning än män (32 kvinnor och 8 män). De 40 deltagarna med en depressions diagnos uteslöts och ingick inte i analysen 5 år senare. Efter 5 år fanns 78 personer av 149 deltagare tillgängliga, av dem hade 21 personer (26.9%) utvecklat depression, det var ingen skillnad mellan män och kvinnor i andelen som utvecklade depression. Det var ingen skillnad i medelvärdet på test för livsmening bland de som hade utvecklat depression efter 5 år jämfört med de som inte utvecklat depression. Det förefaller som att livsmening inte skyddar riktigt gamla människor från att utveckla depression. Delarbete III innefattar 51 personer vilka svarat på test för livsmening vid två tillfällen med 5 års mellanrum. Resultatet visar att livsmeningen minskar efter 5 år i högre grad bland kvinnorna jämfört med männen. Det var ingen skillnad i medelvärdet i livsmening vid baslinjen mellan de som hade en depression diagnos och de som inte hade en, men bland de med en depressionsdiagnos hade livsmeningen minskat signifikant efter 5 år. För att fördjupa kunskapen om livsmening analyserades intervjuer från 30 kvinnor med hjälp av innehållsanalys i delarbete IV. För att få en variation i berättelserna valdes 10 kvinnor som skattat livsmeningen som låg, 10 kvinnor som skattat livsmeningen som medel samt 10 kvinnor som skattat livsmeningen som hög. Kvinnornas berättelser om att åldras och vara gamla var positiva. De upplevde livsmening i både vardagen där sociala relationer var viktiga samt i kontakt på ett andligt plan. Det uttrycktes även i berättelserna att det inte fanns någon livsmening. I delarbete V ingår 23 män vilka alla hade svarat på en fråga om livsmening, svaren analyserades med hjälp av innehålls analys och resultatet visar att för männen var arbete en viktig del för livsmening. Alla utom en man hade en positiv syn på livet, männen berättade om livsmening främst i relation till minnen från när de var yngre. Sammanfattningsvis visar studierna att inte uppleva livsmening kan resultera i psykisk ohälsa vilket kan leda till depression. Livsmening måste beaktas både i samhället och i sjukvården för att förebygga psykisk ohälsa. Det är av stor betydelse att uppleva livsmening under hela livet samt att samhällets syn på äldre människor är sannolikt en viktig aspekt för att de allra äldsta ska uppleva livsmening.

Abstract Where and how people live in later life is of vital importance to their wellbeing. Yet there has been very little critical attention in gerontology to the growth of large residential complexes being built by developers on urban fringes across Australia. There is no coherent policy relating to older people’s accommodation, and a general absence in understanding the capacity of these purpose built environments to meet the needs of older people. Further, there is a lack of research that represents the intricate interplay of factors that informs the provision of residential complexes. This research aims to address the critical need to understand the reality of older people’s lives within these spaces of ageing. It seeks to do this by exploring the experiences and meaning older people resident in these complexes attach to these spaces, as well as investigating the views and knowledge of those responsible for their design and production. A spatial framework, directly informed by Henri Lefebvre’s theory of social space, provides a holistic means to integrate both the structural and humanistic dimensions of space. This framework guided an exploration of the working knowledge of the professionals involved in the production of residential complexes, as well as how older people use, and create meaning in this living environment. The qualitative research design facilitated the analysis of interviews with professionals and older people, as well as documents and working papers in order to gain a rich understanding of the different dimensions that make up the production of, and life within, residential complexes. The research identified a broad range of implications in relation to the policy and practice of building residential complexes for older people. Of particular note is that the working knowledge of those responsible for the provision of residential complexes is underpinned by a stereotypical approach to ageing which affects their attitudes and assumptions. This is part of a complex array of factors including ageism, the dominance of business acumen, and humanism all resulting in a cultural acceptance of older people’s accommodation as separate. These findings prompt consideration of who is planning for whom, and who benefits? Findings suggest that for older people residential complexes are an ambiguous place, characterised by tensions. For some residents, the space provides both security and community, enabling them to engage with occupations and relationships. However, for others, the space is limiting, compromising their ability to retain meaning in their lives. In this way, residential complexes are both an enabling and a constraining environment. These findings highlight the inherent difficulty of providing one dominant model for a population with a broad range of needs, experiences and expectations. Whatever their age older people continue to produce space, and this is not only about keeping the past alive, but keeping in touch with the whole of their lives. This entails continuing to form relationships and connecting to the environment, whether that is a garden, the bush or inner city life; and through the signification of objects as both an expression of connection, loss and absence. To reinforce the heterogeneity of older people, place and space for some was not important. This research has important implications for developing policy on ageing and planning the built environment, as well for the application of the theory of social space. Of note is the power and pervasiveness of ageism within professions responsible for the conception and production of residential complexes, and the strength of the dissonance between accommodation, support and care for older people. Important insights were gained about older people’s use and meaning of their space, notably the need to recognise micro agency and occupation throughout the life course. This thesis draws attention to the complexity of place and space in regard to older people and their living environments and challenges research that adopts a more singular approach. Finally, use of Lefebvre’s work to drive the approach adopted in this study is a major strength. In particular, the operationalisation of Lefebvre’s triad of social space in a social context provides a theoretical contribution to social theory, one to be taken up by gerontology and social science.

Abstract Where and how people live in later life is of vital importance to their wellbeing. Yet there has been very little critical attention in gerontology to the growth of large residential complexes being built by developers on urban fringes across Australia. There is no coherent policy relating to older people’s accommodation, and a general absence in understanding the capacity of these purpose built environments to meet the needs of older people. Further, there is a lack of research that represents the intricate interplay of factors that informs the provision of residential complexes. This research aims to address the critical need to understand the reality of older people’s lives within these spaces of ageing. It seeks to do this by exploring the experiences and meaning older people resident in these complexes attach to these spaces, as well as investigating the views and knowledge of those responsible for their design and production. A spatial framework, directly informed by Henri Lefebvre’s theory of social space, provides a holistic means to integrate both the structural and humanistic dimensions of space. This framework guided an exploration of the working knowledge of the professionals involved in the production of residential complexes, as well as how older people use, and create meaning in this living environment. The qualitative research design facilitated the analysis of interviews with professionals and older people, as well as documents and working papers in order to gain a rich understanding of the different dimensions that make up the production of, and life within, residential complexes. The research identified a broad range of implications in relation to the policy and practice of building residential complexes for older people. Of particular note is that the working knowledge of those responsible for the provision of residential complexes is underpinned by a stereotypical approach to ageing which affects their attitudes and assumptions. This is part of a complex array of factors including ageism, the dominance of business acumen, and humanism all resulting in a cultural acceptance of older people’s accommodation as separate. These findings prompt consideration of who is planning for whom, and who benefits? Findings suggest that for older people residential complexes are an ambiguous place, characterised by tensions. For some residents, the space provides both security and community, enabling them to engage with occupations and relationships. However, for others, the space is limiting, compromising their ability to retain meaning in their lives. In this way, residential complexes are both an enabling and a constraining environment. These findings highlight the inherent difficulty of providing one dominant model for a population with a broad range of needs, experiences and expectations. Whatever their age older people continue to produce space, and this is not only about keeping the past alive, but keeping in touch with the whole of their lives. This entails continuing to form relationships and connecting to the environment, whether that is a garden, the bush or inner city life; and through the signification of objects as both an expression of connection, loss and absence. To reinforce the heterogeneity of older people, place and space for some was not important. This research has important implications for developing policy on ageing and planning the built environment, as well for the application of the theory of social space. Of note is the power and pervasiveness of ageism within professions responsible for the conception and production of residential complexes, and the strength of the dissonance between accommodation, support and care for older people. Important insights were gained about older people’s use and meaning of their space, notably the need to recognise micro agency and occupation throughout the life course. This thesis draws attention to the complexity of place and space in regard to older people and their living environments and challenges research that adopts a more singular approach. Finally, use of Lefebvre’s work to drive the approach adopted in this study is a major strength. In particular, the operationalisation of Lefebvre’s triad of social space in a social context provides a theoretical contribution to social theory, one to be taken up by gerontology and social science.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Murdoch University, 2006. / Thesis submitted to the Division of Health Sciences. Bibliography: leaves 150-168.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of North Carolina at Wilmington, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves: [108]-111)

Thesis (M. Sc.), Memorial University of Newfoundland, 1999. / Bibliography: p. 40-43.

Thesis (M.A.)--Missouri State University, 2009. / "May 2009." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 67-80). Also available online.