'Widowerhood': Masculinities and Spousal Loss in the Late-1960s.

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  • Author(s): Bandini, Julia; Thompson, Edward H.
  • Source:
    Omega: Journal of Death & Dying (OMEGA), 2013; 68(2): 123-141. (19p)
  • Publication Type:
    Journal Article - research, tables/charts
  • Language:
    English
  • Additional Information
    • Affiliation:
      College of the Holy Cross
    • Subject Terms:
      Widows and Widowers -- Psychosocial Factors ; Death -- Psychosocial Factors ; Grief -- Evaluation
    • Subject Terms:
      Human; Qualitative Studies; Prospective Studies; Interviews; Male; Female; Massachusetts; Adult; Middle Age; Field Notes; Thematic Analysis; Loneliness -- Epidemiology; Work -- Evaluation; Marriage -- Evaluation
    • Abstract:
      This study examined the distinctly gendered experiences of young widowers. Using qualitative longitudinal data from the 1960's Harvard Bereavement Study, we evaluated the interview transcripts of 19 widowers (median age = 38) who had been interviewed 3 weeks, 8 weeks, 13 months, and 2-4 years after the wife's death. Our findings indicate that the off-time spousal loss ruptured the ontological security that marriage provided and created two types of difficult situations for the widowers. Coping with deep sadness and grief, the men divulged their unspoken dependency on their marriage and on their late wife. They also struggled as single fathers, especially if they tried to singlehandedly care for their children. Becoming an off-time widower in the 1960s compelled the men to reclaim their masculine identity. Men's identity-rebuilding strategies involved promptly returning to work, and many men began dating and repartnering to recoup the normalcy of being married.
    • Journal Subset:
      Biomedical; Peer Reviewed; USA
    • ISSN:
      0030-2228
    • MEDLINE Info:
      PMID: 24673039 NLM UID: 1272106
    • Publication Date:
      20140122
    • Publication Date:
      20150710
    • Accession Number:
      http://dx.doi.org/10.2190/OM.68.2.c
    • Accession Number:
      104007553
  • Citations
    • ABNT:
      BANDINI, J.; THOMPSON, E. H. “Widowerhood”: Masculinities and Spousal Loss in the Late-1960s. Omega: Journal of Death & Dying, [s. l.], v. 68, n. 2, p. 123–141, 2013. DOI 10.2190/OM.68.2.c. Disponível em: http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=ccm&AN=104007553&custid=s6224580. Acesso em: 9 dez. 2019.
    • AMA:
      Bandini J, Thompson EH. “Widowerhood”: Masculinities and Spousal Loss in the Late-1960s. Omega: Journal of Death & Dying. 2013;68(2):123-141. doi:10.2190/OM.68.2.c.
    • APA:
      Bandini, J., & Thompson, E. H. (2013). “Widowerhood”: Masculinities and Spousal Loss in the Late-1960s. Omega: Journal of Death & Dying, 68(2), 123–141. https://doi.org/10.2190/OM.68.2.c
    • Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date:
      Bandini, Julia, and Edward H. Thompson. 2013. “‘Widowerhood’: Masculinities and Spousal Loss in the Late-1960s.” Omega: Journal of Death & Dying 68 (2): 123–41. doi:10.2190/OM.68.2.c.
    • Harvard:
      Bandini, J. and Thompson, E. H. (2013) ‘“Widowerhood”: Masculinities and Spousal Loss in the Late-1960s’, Omega: Journal of Death & Dying, 68(2), pp. 123–141. doi: 10.2190/OM.68.2.c.
    • Harvard: Australian:
      Bandini, J & Thompson, EH 2013, ‘“Widowerhood”: Masculinities and Spousal Loss in the Late-1960s’, Omega: Journal of Death & Dying, vol. 68, no. 2, pp. 123–141, viewed 9 December 2019, .
    • MLA:
      Bandini, Julia, and Edward H. Thompson. “‘Widowerhood’: Masculinities and Spousal Loss in the Late-1960s.” Omega: Journal of Death & Dying, vol. 68, no. 2, Aug. 2013, pp. 123–141. EBSCOhost, doi:10.2190/OM.68.2.c.
    • Chicago/Turabian: Humanities:
      Bandini, Julia, and Edward H. Thompson. “‘Widowerhood’: Masculinities and Spousal Loss in the Late-1960s.” Omega: Journal of Death & Dying 68, no. 2 (August 2013): 123–41. doi:10.2190/OM.68.2.c.
    • Vancouver/ICMJE:
      Bandini J, Thompson EH. “Widowerhood”: Masculinities and Spousal Loss in the Late-1960s. Omega: Journal of Death & Dying [Internet]. 2013 Aug [cited 2019 Dec 9];68(2):123–41. Available from: http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=ccm&AN=104007553&custid=s6224580