Images of Old Men’s Masculinity: Still a Man?

Relatively little attention has been paid to later life masculinities. Separate studies were designed to identify the commonly held images of old men and then determine whether or not an old man is perceived as a man or more in terms of a gender-neutral elderly person. The first assessed the commonly held images of positive and negative later life masculinities. A second study examined if old men’s gendered character was perceived similarly in comparison to a young man or an old woman. Findings from the studies revealed age expectations and masculinity norms jointly affected people’s images of old men. Old men were favorably described more often than negatively stereotyped, and there was evidence of distinct late life masculinity expectations.