title: "It's your badge of inclusion": the Red Hat Society as a gendered subculture of aging.
abstract: Although studies document the health-enhancing effects of social engagement, they reveal little about the underlying mechanisms operating within specific organizational contexts. Limited attention is given to the role of inequality--particularly age and gender--in shaping either the organizations to which we belong or their consequences for our well-being. We address this issue by examining the Red Hat Society, a social organization for middle-aged and older women. Interviews with members (n=52) illustrate how age and gender inequality interact to shape the organization, which can be viewed as a gendered subculture of aging. Drawing on this framework, we discuss four processes through which participation generates benefits for older women involved in age- and gender-segregated organizations: enhancing social networks, countering invisibility, creating positive frames for aging experiences, and promoting youthful identities.
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology, Florida State University, United States. abarrett@fsu.edu
authors.forename: Anne E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Barrett
authors.forename: Manacy
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pai
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Redmond
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005431:Florida; D005783:Gender Identity; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009769:Object Attachment; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology; D012649:Self Concept; D063507:Sexism / Q000523:psychology*; D012933:Social Identification; D058992:Social Participation; D012944:Social Support; D012945:Social Values; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors