The Role of Women’s Friendships in Later Life: Implications for Married and Widowed Women

Abstract

Increasingly, aging research demonstrates the importance of social support for well-being in later life, particularly among women. Women often rely on their spouse as a source of social support; however, it is unclear how older women’s support, particularly friendships, adapts when their spouses die. The current study selected a sample of 253 women from the Social Integration and Aging Study (Fuller-Iglesias & Rajbhandari, 2015) with the goal of examining whether friendship characteristics differ between married and widowed older women and determining the implications for well-being. Results revealed married and widowed women did not differ in friendship number, frequency of contact, and satisfaction. Moreover, married women’s happiness was linked to in-person contact whereas widowed women’s happiness was associated with better friendship satisfaction. These results suggest friendships matter in later life despite marital status, yet the function may shift upon widowhood, highlighting important implications for research about and practice with older women.