Aging Anxiety, Identity and Gender Equality: A Study on Key Issues in Contemporary Western Gerontology

Since the late 20th century, Western gerontological research has expanded from purely biomedical to a broader cultural approach, developing interdisciplinary subfields such as humanistic and cultural gerontology. Cultural gerontology, drawing from cultural studies theories, places aging in parallel with categories like class, gender, and race to explore its culturally constructed attributes. Traditionally, old age has been negatively stereotyped as fragile and obstinate, leading to societal fear and discrimination. In reality, the segmentation of life stages is a product of societal evolution. Analyzing aging through a cultural studies lens—focusing on identity, aging anxiety, and gender power dynamics—reveals the critical role of culture in shaping the experiences and identities of the elderly. This approach effectively deconstructs negative stereotypes associated with old age and provides insights for the development of gerontology in China.