What do you fear the most?
Are you scared of death or perhaps not being able to live independently in your own home as you grow older? A new UK study, which looked at the things people were most afraid of as they aged may surprise you.
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Are you scared of death or perhaps not being able to live independently in your own home as you grow older? A new UK study which looked at the things people were most afraid of as they aged may surprise you.
The research found women reportedly care more about losing their looks and beauty with age, compared to men who worry more about sex and relationships.
Reuters news quoted sociologist Dr Kate Woodthorpe, of the University of Bath’s Centre for Death and Society, as saying the research for the Sun Life Direct Cost of Dying annual report showed women were more anxious about everything to do with ageing.
She mentioned a “gender divide” was uncovered in the study, which surveyed 1,100 adults over the age of 40 years.
The findings revealed a third of women believed looks in old age were important to them, compared to just 21% of men. About 32% of men were concerned about a “dwindling” sex-life as they aged, whereas only 12% of women had concerns about intimacy.
“The chances are women have a lot more at stake because they are the ones going to be left on their own, often for about 10 years as a widow,” the Daily Express quoted Dr Woodthrope as saying.
“They lose a companion and are at greater risk of poverty. A lot of the generation retiring now are reliant on the man’s pension because the woman may have had a long career break to raise families and therefore will not have the same security as a man,” she stated.
What do you fear most about old age? Share your concerns by commenting in the box below.
