Women’s well-being: An examination of internalized gendered aging stereotypes and its effect on women’s well-being.

Abstract

This research study examined associations between explicit and implicit attitudes related to aging stereotypes and well-being among aging women. Three hypotheses were tested. The first model tested whether or not explicit attitudes related to aging were uniquely related to a measure of well-being and its sub-scales of life satisfaction, physical and mental health, meaning and purpose in life, care and character, relationships, and community social support. The second model tested whether or not the implicit attitudes related to aging were uniquely related to well-being and the well-being sub-scales. The third model integrated explicit and implicit attitudes related to aging to assess if explicit and implicit attitudes related to aging were each uniquely associated with well-being and the well-being sub-scales. The participants (N=220) were female, ages 55 to 75 years old, and were born and raised in the United States. Self-report surveys and an implicit attitude measure (i.e., Aging Implicit Association Test) task were used to test the hypotheses. Results suggest that only explicit attitudes related to aging were associated with well-being and with the well-being sub-scales. This study draws attention to the effects of explicit and implicit aging stereotype messages and the possibility of its internalization through stereotype embodiment. The awareness of negative aging stereotype internalization and its effects on well-being may be a first step in understanding the impact of a culture’s conscious or nonconscious treatment of aging women.