Sex and Age Differences in the Cognitions of "Getting Old"

Abstract

Eight hundred and two men and women of wide age range, responded to a questionnaire concerning signs of being old. Main results were as follows. 1) Physical health resources were most frequently cited (59 .0%) as the signs of being old. 2) Significant sex differences were found in five out of the ten indices of being old. While women regarded the decline of psysical resource and being granted a pension, men tended to view the retirement as initial signs of being old. 3) Significant age differences were found in eight out of ten indices. The middle age group viewed the declined of physical resources, young group viewed the receiving of a pension, and the old group viewed the failure of their memory, respectively as the incipent signs of being old. 4) Multivariate analysis of the ten incipient signs of being old by means of Hayashi's quantification theory type III yielded four groups. They were named, "role transfer along the life cycle", "being given an old age title", "physical decline and pension", and "loss of active interes