老年、性別與敘事：老年生命脈絡的性別建構

Old Age, Gender, and Narrative: The Gendered Construction of Old Age

本研究旨在從生命脈絡的角度，探討台灣老年性別角色與氣質的建構與發展。研究以最大變異抽樣及標準性抽樣原則的綜合立意抽樣方法，運用訪談方式紀錄台灣138 位年齡65 歲以上男女兩性的生活紀事，透過敘事分析與內容分析發現：男性老人過去的生命意義顯現的是獲取的累積，女性老人的過去顯現的卻是生命的欠缺；在現時生活方面，男性生活形態逐漸內撤，女性生活則逐漸外張，使得以往男女性別氣質男外∕女內、男動∕女靜、男積極∕女被動的社會建構，在老年生活中有逐漸混同的現象；對於未來，男性老人的生命建構傾向較高的欲求、抽象化與多樣化，但卻有較高的無力感；女性老人的建構則有較細緻、具體、積極、而主動的想像。整體而言，到了老年，兩性的生活都回歸到對自已身體的關注，但生命樣態卻有不同的展現，對女性而言，老年生活似乎是原有生命的延續，甚至是另一種生命的開展，而且顯示出比較充實、豐富的生活樣貌；相對的，男性老人的生活則比較單調、內撤，對男性而言，老年生活確實是一種生命的轉換，在「去責任」的過程中，形成角色和任務的改變或撤離。

The study aims to examine, from a life-context perspective, the construction and development of gender roles and gender traits among the elderly in Taiwan. By using the methods of in-depth interview, content analysis and narrative analysis with 138 samples of people over sixty-five years old, this study finds out: men’s constructions of their past life were representative of gaining in contrast to women’s demonstration of lacking. In terms of the present life-space, old men come to be more withdrawn and introverted, but old women more were active and extroverted. Consequently, the different social constructions of gender roles, such as men/women, introverted/extroverted, active/passive and public/private, are becoming blurred. The constructive life-meanings of future among elderly males tend to be more acquisitive, abstracted and powerless; however, elderly females are more delicate, concrete, open and realistic. As a whole, for old men, ageing is a process of de-obligation which leads to a transformation of their lives and roles. For old women, ageing is a continuation of their lives and roles which leads to an extension of their life-world.