The Daily Consequences of Widowhood: The Role of Gender and Intergenerational Transfers of Subsequent Housework Performance.” Journal of Family Issues

This study examines (a) whether widowhood affects the performance of daily household ac-tivities, (b) the extent to which dependence on children mediates the effect of widowhood on subsequent housework performance, and (c) the extent to which these patterns vary by gen-der. Using the Changing Lives of Older Couples study, a prospective survey of married per-sons age 65 and older, we find that late-life widowhood is associated with an increase in men’s housework, yet does not produce a change in women’s subsequent housework perfor-mance. Dependency on children mediates the effect of widowhood on housework, suggest-ing that adult children assist their grieving parents with errands and other household chores. Findings imply that the daily consequences of late-life widowhood are dependent on the indi-vidual, dyadic, and intergenerational characteristics of the older adult