Aging for men is a quest for a new identity

The traditional view is that aging is harder for women, but men have their share of stereotypes to deal with, pressured as they are to prove their masculinity all the time

Josep M. Armengol Carrera, Senior Lecturer in American Literature and Gender Studies at the University of Castilla-La Mancha in Spain, Project Coordinator and Principal Investigator Southern Europe of MascAge, a new international research endeavor

Josep M. Armengol Carrera speaks fast. It’s not just because, as a Spaniard, he’s used to rolling words (the same applies to me as an Italian, by the way). I feel it is rather because he has a lot to say when it comes to the cultural invisibility of aging men. Senior Lecturer in American Literature and Gender Studies at the University of Castilla-La Mancha, he is the mastermind behind MascAge, a brand new international research endeavor aimed at analyzing social constructions and representations of aging men in contemporary European literature and filmography. Recently launched, the project has an international DNA. The budget has been assigned to a network of teams in Spain, Ireland, Austria, Estonia, Sweden and Israel, and Professor Armengol serves as Project Coordinator and Principal Investigator Southern Europe. The goal is not only to take the most up-to-date picture of contemporary men in the realm of aging, but also to understand the interplay of social, economic and cultural issues in this equation. 

As Professor Armengol rightly points out, we tend to underestimate the challenges that aging brings along for men. So far, the majority of gendered approaches to aging have focused on women. This way, women ended up with being the measuring stick for both genders. At the same time, it seems almost natural to think that aging is less taxing for men, because they don’t have to battle with progressive invisibility, social devaluation and the imperative of appearance. After all, aren’t they the “Gray Foxes?” The reality is more nuanced than what we are used to believing: there are plenty of imperatives for men in our society and aging adds its toll. Not all the rules are written, but many of them are pressing.

Looking at aging from the “end user’s perspective” is certainly going to be an eye-opener, but between the lines this research is already telling us something. To start with, we can acknowledge that aging should not be reduced to an us versus them paradigm. Understanding aging in terms of oppositions of women versus men doesn’t bring any benefit. Yes, women don’t always have it easy, but neither do men. Along the same line, despite the dominant narrative brought about by the media, aging is different for every man. There are many variables in this equation some are personal, some social and economic. The answers have not been found, because the questions have not been asked. Yet.

Can you tell us why MascAge was born?

MascAge was launched as an answer from a European call for projects addressing the issue of gender and age. Co-funded by Gender-Net Plus, a program of scientific research sponsored by ERA, the scientific program of cooperation of the European Union, MascAge fills the void on the male “side of the story.” There are many studies on aging women, but so far aging men have been paying the price of a cultural invisibility. Due to our longer life expectancy and declining birth rate, our society is graying and this puts a lot of pressure on the social system. The EU needs fact-based studies to inform its future policies. 

What are the main highlights of MascAge?

I come from gender studies and one of the peculiarities of this project is the fact that it brings together gender studies and literary and film studies programs. The goal is to have a broader and more comprehensive view. That’s why not only do we have an international team of researchers, but we bring on board at the same time the capabilities of social scientists and humanities scholars. The goal is to have an interdisciplinary, transnational and intersectional research. In fact, we plan to analyze the intersections between masculinity and aging studies through humanistic studies, literary and film studies. We also want to explore the intersections between aging, ethnicity, class and sexual orientation.

What are you studying, in particular?

We ask older men questions about their social life, sexual life, intergenerational relationships and work. We are also taking into consideration variables such as intersectionality, ethnicity, social class, disability, and economic status. These are all elements that have a practical impact on life, but are seldom considered.

Can you share any results?

We’re at a very early stage; we’re beginning to interview our panel. Because of the international approach, the findings will be very interesting. For example, Israel has a strong religious imprinting, whereas Estonia is a post-communist country, still struggling with high suicide rates among older males. We will be able to explore men’s experience and attitudes across different European cultures, finding commonalities and differences. There are differences in the countries in terms of wealth, retirement age, access to care, income. What I can tell you is that we are finding a lot of issues.

The traditional view is that aging is harder for women, even because - on average - they tend to outlive men by ten years. But men have their own share of stereotypes to deal with. They feel pressured to prove their masculinity and make great efforts to do so. Very often, men find it hard to adapt, they entertain risky behaviors, they focus on their public image, they feel useless and obsolete. Basically, they need to develop a new identity. 

What would we be able to learn at the end of the project?

What is the representation of contemporary men, what are the images that are not promoted, and if the conversation can be enriched. For example, we hadn’t addressed the issues of a graying society and increasing longevity from the gender perspective, but there’s a growing interest in literature and movies, and also the attempt to move beyond the stereotype of aging men portrayed so far as healthy and wealthy white men.

How is the representation of men evolving?

We live in a youthist culture and there’s a lot of ageism. We all know too well that the paradigm of successful aging suggests that it is ok to age as long as you look young. What happens when you can’t keep this up anymore? When you need help and care, it’s all very problematic. Also, there’s a slice of the population, like the oldest old, who are blackened-out and the same goes for those who live at the bottom of the economic pyramid. At the end of the day, not all the aging people are Diane Keaton and Jack Nicholson, but theirs is a story that has not been told yet. 

You wrote that men exhibit higher suicide rates than women. Can you elaborate on this?

In both the US and Europe, men’s suicide rates are higher than those of women, especially among older men. Men are expected to be active, competitive, so when they retire, many of them lose their identities. We are aged by culture and therefore the cultural context is very important.

In your opinion, is aging becoming more or less easy for contemporary men? Why?

On one hand it is easier, because we are aging longer. But there’s not a definitive answer. A lot depends on your attitude to life. Women get along better with aging, they have a stronger social network, whereas men tend to be repressing instead of expressing their emotions. They also see their doctors less often and this, in turns, puts more pressure on their health. On top of that, as we said, there are issues of masculinity, individuality and adaptation.