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Journal of Family Issues, Vol. 25, No. 5, 683-712 (2004)
DOI: 10.1177/0192513X03257717

The Daily Consequences of Widowhood

The Role of Gender and Intergenerational Transfers on Subsequent Housework Performance

Rebecca L. Utz

Erin B. Reidy

University of Michigan

Deborah Carr

Rutgers University

Randolph Nesse

University of Michigan

Camille Wortman

State University of New York at Stony Brook

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.

Key Words: widowhood • gender roles • housework • parent-child relations • caregiving • intergenerational transfers • instrumental activities of daily living


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