• more about #widows more comments →
    cirocco: "Why can't we instead realize that the same rigidity of roles that we deplore could hurt not just women, but men, and find that not a source of satisf... more »
    rednrowdy: wouldn't it stand to reason that the quality and length of the marriage prior to the spouse dying would play a factor in this, too? what about spouse... more »
    Eric Northman is mine: In terms of widows/widowers. Have you noticed in older couples that men tend pass away after their wives have passed but women tend to live on for a l... more »
    Fridge Hussy : Is finally heading back to uni!: I know a bit about the decline in diet if a husband loses his wife. My father can prepare meals, but if my mum goes away for even a few days, my dad o... more »
    andBegorrah: The solution is clearly to let elderly single ladies use their "independence" to entertain lonely gentlemen callers, and if, in their aged wisdom, the... more »
    NerD: Blattella: My grandfather on my father's side died at 83. My grandma immediately became very independent, living another 15 and dying at 97. One thing that ma... more »
    AmericanSplendor: My mother came very close to being a widow last year, but the pops perservered (thank you thank you, thank you Jesus). Believe me, my mother would hav... more »
    thegogglesdonothing: Fun fact: the reason that older adults have the highest suicide rate of any age group is nearly entirely due to increases in suicide among males. Olde... more »
    PilgrimSoul: Why can't we instead realize that the same rigidity of roles that we deplore could hurt not just women, but men, and find that not a source of satisfa... more »
    TheFormerJuneBronson: I agree that the problem with this paradigm is the desire to generalize. Nobody knows how they'll handle the death of their spouse; it's one of those ... more »
    cocobanal: Nice post. The whole idea of getting older and being lonely is something I've been thinking about a lot lately. I am lonely and I know other people wh... more »
    elliebean: I think this article (the Jezebel one) makes an excellent point. Traditional gender roles, as we age, may sort of have the effect of crippling one's a... more »
    Penny: My love for Harold & Maude knows no bounds. I think this is a generational thing. When I think about the people in my life who are my parents age an... more »
    suck_it_monkeys: A good friend of mine is an Iraq war widow and it's been heartbreaking and overwhelming to see what she's dealt with in the two years since his death.... more »
    BlondeGrlz: There are a lot of very young military widows because there are a lot of very young military marriages. When you know your boyfriend/fiance's job is g... more »
  • #goldengirls

    Merry Widows, Sad Guys: Do Women Finally Have It Better?

    "The notion of love-starved widows has become so entrenched in American culture that it has been a sitcom staple and the subject of an endless succession of jokes." But it seems that's one stereotype women have outlived. More »
  • #veteransday

    American Widow Project Helps Military Wives Work Through Grief