Relationships Between Women in Later Life makes a significant contribution to the literature available on older women through its recognition of the diversity that exists among older women and of the different types of social and familial bonds that characterize their individual lifestyles. From the book's cross-sectional and longitudinal studies, you will broaden your understanding of the roles older women assume in their relationships and the unique health, personal, and social issues they face.By reading Relationships Between Women in Later Life, you will acquire an understanding of traditional female relationships, such as those that exist between mother and daughter and grandmother and granddaughter and how they develop and as time passes. You will also gain important insight into the relationships between lesbians in later life, between Catholic sisters, and between women in structured environments, such as nursing homes. In addition, if you are a social worker, nurse, gerontologist, or researcher, you will enhance your theoretical understanding and practical knowledge of both informal and formal ties and relationships among women in their later years.The authors of Relationships Between Women in Later Life come from a variety of academic backgrounds, including Gerontology, Family Studies and Human Development, Social Work, Anthropology, and Nursing, to offer a broad perspective on the different aspects of women's relationships, their social networks, and the factors that shape the development and maintenance of the two. They present new data on the various components of women's relationships and make helpful recommendations for future research and practice considerations. This book will be of great service to academics, researchers, graduate students, and counselors in their efforts to better understand and better serve the fastest growing segment of today's population.