STRONG AND ENDURING TIES - OLDER WOMEN AND THEIR FRIENDS

This paper examines friendship in later life, drawing upon data obtain ed from in-depth interviews conducted with a sample of 142 elderly wom en who were living in a small town in Atlantic Canada. The nature and meaning of friendship in later life is examined from the perspective o f the elderly woman. The data indicate that most respondents have a su bstantial number of friends and differentiate between different types of friends: 'friends' and 'close friends,' 'old friends' and those acq uired more recently. Focusing attention on the concepts of self-identi ty and reciprocity, an attempt is made to explain why older people mig ht more highly value their old friends than those acquired more recent ly.