Going solo: Findings from a survey of women ageing without a partner and who do not have children

Greater longevity in the UK population has led to the increasing diversity of women experiencing ageing in a multitude of ways. Internationally gender inequalities within ageing are still relatively invisible within both government policy and everyday life for particular groups of women. This paper explores the concept of women growing older ‘solo’ by which we mean women who find themselves non partnered and ageing without children as they move into later life. We report on the findings from a mixed-methods survey of 76 solo women in the UK aged 50 years and over, used to provide a broader overview of the issues and challenges they face as they move into later life. Qualitative data from the survey captured respondents’ perspectives about the links between their relationships status and wellbeing in later life and highlighted specific cumulative disadvantages emerging for some women as a result of their solo lifestyles. We discuss two key themes were identified; ‘solo-loneliness’ and ‘meaningful futures’ in conjunction with the relevant literature and make suggestions for future research within gender and ageing studies that could enhance more positive approaches to solo lifestyles.

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Journal of Women and Ageing on 15 August 2016, available online: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/08952841.2016.1187544

This project was supported by Departmental Small Grants Committee at Middlesex University