The widowed identity: identity transformations of the silent generation and the influence of time

Abstract

ABSTRACT Divorce and death of a husband are two life events that leave older women without a life partner. But they have very different impacts. In a divorce, an older woman goes through a legal and emotional process that results in an unambiguous identity as a single woman. But the death of a husband often leaves older women in an ambiguous situation where they are physically alone but still perceived – – by themselves and others – – as part of a couple. This may be especially true for older women, because their self-identities were forged in an era when a woman’s identity was subordinated to that of her husband. Additionally, while some women become widows suddenly, others experienced a prolonged dying process that gave them time to adjust to widowhood. In the latter case the older widow has more in common with her divorced counterpart, that is, she is more likely to have an unambiguous identity as a single woman.