A view of life of elderly men and women

Olga Krasnova

     Olga Viktorovna Krasnova, PhD in Psychology, «Gerontologist Center» Chairman, Chief Editor of the journal «Psychology of Maturity and Aging»
      The process of aging of the population in Russia, in contrast to the developed countries, is followed by decline in health and growth of mortality. The sharp reduction of the average life expectancy in the last years is in fact unequalled. The maximum value of lifespan was registered in 1986-1987: 64.9 years for men and 74.6 for women. The minimum was reached in 1994: the men’s life expectancy went down by 7.3 years and was as low as 57.6 years; for women the reduction was 3.4 years and the value of life expectancy 71.2 years. Due to extra high male mortality rate the difference of lifespan between men and women reached 13.1 years¹. That is why the number of women in senior age groups is considerably higher than the number of men. Thus there are two times more women than men aged 60 and more. At the age of 75 and older there are 3.4 times more women than men. Besides, if we bear in mind that there are 3 times more single women in the age group of 60 and older, we could say that Russian old age has «female face».
Living in families
      Aged 60 and older
      90.3% men
      71.1% women
      Aged 70 and older
      63.4% men
      47.2 % women
Living alone
      Aged 60 and older
      9.5% men
      28.7% women
      Aged 70 and older
      36.4% men
      52.6% women
      These data speak of the problem of loneliness of elderly people. According to the data obtained by L.Shilova, women experience the feeling of loneliness almost three times more often than men².
      Besides, there is a great difference in social and psychological perception of men and women. Social feeling of a retired person is his subjective estimate of the level of well-being in his micro-environment. The advanced age, or more precisely its accompanying illnesses and infirmity tend to enforce the old people’s depressive and gray view of life. Good mood or high spirits, if you like, is nowadays a great rarity, and not just among elderly people . It is all the more surprising that, as noted by Z.Saralieva and S.Balabanov who conducted a poll of 527 elderly citizens of Nizhny Novgorod in the beginning of 1999, normally calm state of mind is typical for more than half of the participants. Women turned out to have a more pessimistic view of life.
      In all age groups the proportion of people with normal mood was exceptionally even and stable. The authors assume that people acquire more or less philosophical views at the decline of life, become less emotional and do not make fuss about trifles anymore.
      Only about 8 percent respondents agreed with the phrase: «Life is a burden, the sooner it’s over the better». Such an attitude is characteristic for every fourth woman over 80. Men have a stronger tendency to cling to life no matter how hard it is. The majority of them expressed their attitude to death firmly and in a short way: «I want to live!»
      Furthermore, short-term plans are prevailing in elderly women’s life. They can be interpreted as «getting rid of all earthly matters as soon as possible» or «social dying before actual death». Men present quite a different picture. Long-term plans are cherished by approximately the same percent of 60- and 80-year olds belonging to the stronger sex. Elderly men, in contrast with their female coevals, have new ideas and far-reaching plans. To realize them they mobilize all their resources instead of sitting and waiting for the Grim Reaper to come³.