Enjoying the returns: Women's friendships after 50

Enjoying the returns: Women's friendships after 50 Book Chapter

Rose, SM. (2007). Enjoying the returns: Women's friendships after 50 . 112-130. 10.1007/978-0-387-46341-4_7

Women after 50 show a new vigor in their friendships. The second half of life elicits review and contemplation concerning where one has been and also, sometimes, decision and change concerning the personal priorities that will guide the remaining decades. New perspectives of the self and intimacy emerge. As time becomes more valuable, choices about how and with whom to spend it become more pressing. As women assess their lives, they also take stock of their friendships, often making deliberate and clear-eyed decisions about where to increase and reduce their emotional investment. Old friendships may be recalibrated or new ones sought to match fresh views of the self and relationships. What does not change is the immense importance women attach to their friendships. Commitment to the role of friend is even more predictive than income or marital status in the determination of older women's life satisfaction (Trotman & Brody, 2002). © 2007 Springer.