Widows and the termination of the gender contract

Abstract

Widowhood is often described through stereotypes and images of passive, weak, lonely and dependent women. This study presents additional aspects of widows who have chosen to continue their lives without a new spouse. It thus joins the recently growing body of knowledge which presents widowhood in a less one-dimensional way while referring to the complexity and different layers of widows' lives. A qualitative study was conducted with 30 women aged 63–87 who had been widows for 1–34 years. The findings showed that the dominant experience shared by all women is one of liberation and freedom – a feeling of independence that is expressed socially, personally and economically. Thus, alongside feelings of loneliness and adaptation difficulties, they also experience strength and empowerment. The term ‘gender contract’ serves as a theoretical explanation of the independence narrative that characterises the widows; the termination of the couple's gender contract allows them to redefine their priorities, identify themselves as active instead of passive figures and create for themselves a place of their own. By bringing widowhood to the centre of the discussion, the study gives legitimacy to a discourse on feelings less spoken about, such as relief, freedom and independence. In this way, the study contributes to the ongoing debate on widows by shattering the accepted myth of widows as vulnerable, weak and dependent but without underestimating the difficulties or ignoring the women's diversity.

What Is the Relationship between Remote Rural Island Place and Perspectives on Ageing of Mid-life Women?

“…Most mid-life participants in this study reported a positive relationship with their island place and homes, irrespective of socio-economic challenges, and were more likely to adapt their environments to their ageing needs than to leave. Some participants, particularly widows, felt vulnerable in a post-marital state in which they no longer were tied to a "gender contract" (Manor 2023), and were subject to increased socio-economic challenges, leaving some feeling older than their biological years and fearing for their future island ageing. Other participants felt resilient by dint of personal biography, heritage and familial connectivity, but this "cushioning" was not readily available to others who had no or fewer family ties to the islands, or who lived in dispersed geographical areas with no neighbours.…”