Table of Contents

Introduction;
Intimacy and ageing in late modernity;
The changing landscape of intimacy in later life;
From marriage to alternative union forms;
A life of relationships;
Attitudes towards new romantic relationships;
Initiation and development of new romantic relationships;
A new partner as a resource for social support;
Consequences for social network and support structures;
Sex in an ideology of love;
Time as a structuring condition for new intimate relationships in later life;
Discussion;
Methodological Appendix.

About the Author

Torbjörn Bildtgård is Associate Professor in Sociology at Stockholm University, Sweden. Torbjörn has published mainly within two research areas – Food and Meal Studies and Social Gerontology.

Peter Öberg is Professor in Social work, at the Faculty of Health and Occupational Studies, University of Gävle, Sweden. He has devoted his academic career to social gerontology and he is currently Editor in Chief for The International Journal of Ageing and Later Life.

Reviews

"At last, an account of ageing intimacy that blows away stereotypes to engage with the complexities. A must-read for academics and those working with older people." Dr Paul Simpson, Edge Hill University