2004/06/12 by Rebecca Utz, Erin Reidy, Deborah Carr +2 · 88 citations
Economics, Econometrics and Finance · Medicine · Psychology · Social Sciences · #Demography #Developmental psychology #Gerontology #Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health #Housing, Finance, and Neoliberalism #Intergenerational Family Dynamics and Caregiving #Life course approach #Medicine #Psychology #Sociology
paper · doi:10.1177/0192513x03257717
published in Journal of Family Issues 25(5), 683-712 (SAGE Publishing)
openalex publication_date 2004/06/12 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/22
This study examines (a) whether widowhood affects the performance of daily household activities, (b) the extent to which dependence on children mediates the effect of widowhood on subsequent housework performance, and (c) the extent to which these patterns vary by gender. Using the Changing Lives of Older Couples study, a prospective survey of married persons age 65 and older, we find that late-life widowhood is associated with an increase in men’s housework, yet does not produce a change in women’s subsequent housework performance. Dependency on children mediates the effect of widowhood on housework, suggesting that adult children assist their grieving parents with errands and other household chores. Findingsimplythat the daily consequencesof late-life widowhoodare dependenton the individual, dyadic, and intergenerational characteristics of the older adult.