UBCO guest speaker Deborah van den Hoonaard says checking the widowed box on paperwork is often an identifying moment for women.
History and Sociology Speaker Series returns with Experiencing Widowhood Today
What: UBCO History and Sociology Speaker Series
Who: Deborah K. van den Hoonaard
When: Tuesday, November 5 starting at 6:45 p.m.
Where: Okanagan Regional Library, 1380 Ellis Street, Kelowna
Regardless of medical and lifestyle improvements, Statistics Canada reports that the average life expectancy for males (80) is still a few years shorter than women (84)—meaning that generally, wives still outlive their husbands by a number of years.
Widowhood has been a research topic for St. Thomas University Professor Deborah K. van den Hoonaard for many years. In fact, in the early 2000s, she conducted interviews on womens’ experiences as widows. The results of her research were later turned into a book, The Widowed Self: The Older Woman’s Journey through Widowhood, published in 2001.
Recently, van den Hoonaard, a professor emerita of sociology, embarked on a study with a new cohort of women. This time, instead of focusing on grief, her research focused on how women are navigating their lives as widows. Her findings illustrate how changes in social context and womens’ life paths have shifted the way they experience and think about being widows.
UBC Okanagan’s department of history and sociology, in partnership with the Okanagan Regional Library, is hosting van den Hoonaard at a public speaking event on November 5. The community is invited to join her for a lively talk focusing on relationships that demonstrate a woman’s creativity and strength.
This is a free event, but pre-registration is required at: widowubco.eventbrite.com
