Well, according to our recent survey taken by WiseTribers, it seems men are most vexed by aging.
However, slightly more females responded than men, possibly coloring the results.
That said, male WiseTribers were more likely to believe it’s the same for both men and women, whereas none of our female WiseTribers were willing to concede that aging might be the same for both genders. Women were evenly split in believing it’s harder for either men or women.
Why you think men have it harder
According to the comments, matters of work and career rule the life of men, and when retirement comes, they are ‘lost’, left struggling to adjust to new lifestyles that are devoid of structure. Also, their identities are often heavily tied to their physical and athletic abilities and when this starts to wane, their self-image and self-esteem takes a hit. It was also suggested by a female WiseTriber that while our “society still deems men’s middle-aging as ‘sexy’, in which men remain more attractive for a longer time than women who show their physical age faster, men seem to age more quickly physically in the upper years.“
Women don’t have it easier, they just cope better
Without question, the biggest struggle you think women face with aging has to do with vanity and maintaining their physical appearance. Thanks to the billion-dollar beauty industry and long-standing social norms, it was noted that women can “fix” their appearances, however.
While women certainly have a long list to stay atop to remain “ageless,” they also have the benefit of generally having stronger social networks and being inclined to discuss their emotions, alleviating some of the associated psychological burdens. This was a common idea expressed by both females and males.
An interesting thought proposed by a few female WiseTribers was that women actually benefit from having to deal with age-related concerns earlier than men do. The rationale being that since women start worrying about aging earlier, they have a greater opportunity to make peace with the subject sooner (by talking it out with their friends, of course).
Why it’s the same for men & women
Remember, only male WiseTribers thought it was the same for both genders and they had a few different thoughts as to why:
- It the same, but for different reasons;
- It comes down to the individual (you’ve seen an “old” 40-year-old and a “young” 70-year-old)
- Equal opportunity, both genders have lots options to take make life enjoyable.
One went on to proclaim that the greatest advantage of getting older is the blessing of grandchildren!
50 years from now – will the response be the same?
This survey question prompted us to look at the differences between men and women today, but with a number of defining social shifts underway:
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Economic rise of women;
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Stay-at-home dads;
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Rise of the metrosexual (i.e. heterosexual men who invest in their looks, fashion and home décor);
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Rise of the cougar (i.e. attractive middle-aged women who aggressively pursues younger men).
Perhaps the more interesting questions is “how are the differences between men and women fading?” Think about it… ya never know, we might ask for your opinion, oh WiseTribe.
Got an interesting survey question for WiseTribers? Let us know, we’re always looking to build Collective Wisdom.
Jacqueline Botting is the founder and a contributing writer to WiseTribe. She is a technology business developer in the U.S. and overseas for start-ups and Fortune 1000s. She’s a proponent of owning less to live more and believes greater contemplative practices in our daily lives and social institutions make our world a better place. She splits her time between LA, NYC and Florida. Connect with Jacqueline on LinkedIn, Twitter or Google +.
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