Page 96 - IJPS-11-5

International Journal of

Population Studies

RESEARCH ARTICLE
Older adults, gender, and emotions: Fear during

the COVID-19 pandemic in Buenos Aires City,
Argentina

2†
Graciela Dinardi 1† , Ignacio Llovet * , and María Obdulia Gonzalez Fernandez 3
1 Graduate School, Program in Scientific Methodology and Epistemology, National University of Tres
de Febrero, Buenos Aires, Argentina
2 Department of Social Sciences, National University of Luján, Luján, Argentina
3 Department of Engineering, Los Altos University Center, University of Guadalajara, Guadalajara,
Mexico

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic profoundly impacted society, with older adults and men
experiencing higher mortality rates. Paradoxically, despite lower mortality risk, women
reported higher levels of fear than men. This study examines gendered emotional
responses among adults aged 65 and older during the pandemic, using data from
† These authors contributed equally 322 individuals (219 women, 103 men) living in non-institutionalized settings and
to this work. distributed in 45 of Buenos Aires’ 48 neighborhoods. Participants, recruited through
*Corresponding author: snowball sampling, completed three waves of telephone surveys over 63 days during
Ignacio Llovet the peak COVID-19 period in 2020. The survey included 57 questions – both open
(illovet@unlu.edu.ar) and close ended – aimed at assessing emotional well-being during lockdown. This
Citation: Dinardi, G., Llovet, I. article focuses on data from three open-ended questions, which were instrumental
& Gonzalez Fernandez, M.O. in uncovering key themes about the emotional experiences of respondents during
(2025). Older adults, gender, and
emotions: Fear during the COVID- lockdown. Findings reveal that 63% of respondents experienced fear, with women
19 pandemic in Buenos Aires City, consistently reporting higher levels. This fear often stemmed from a sense of loss,
Argentina. International Journal of as qualitative analysis identified four categories of perceived loss: autonomy, socio-
Population Studies, 11(5): 90-102.
https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.5686 affective ties, economic stability, and health concerns. Gendered patterns emerged,
with women frequently associating fear with the loss of social connections and
Received: October 29, 2024
emotional support, while men emphasized autonomy and economic stability.
1st revised: December 9, 2024 These differences underscore how social expectations and subjective beliefs shape
2nd revised: January 20, 2025 emotional responses during crises. Our study highlights the importance of crisis
response strategies, mental health support, and policies that address these gender-
Accepted: March 5, 2025
specific emotional needs.
Published online: March 21, 2025
Copyright: © 2025 Author(s). Keywords: Gender differences; Older adults; Fear; COVID-19; Emotional response;
This is an Open-Access article
distributed under the terms of the Perceived loss
Creative Commons Attribution
License, permitting distribution,
and reproduction in any medium,
provided the original work is
properly cited. 1. Introduction
Publisher’s Note: AccScience On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19
Publishing remains neutral with a global pandemic (WHO, 2020). Just days before the declaration, Buenos Aires
regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional had confirmed its first positive case (Ministerio de Salud, 2020), and the Argentine
affiliations. government responded by introducing some of the world’s most stringent containment

Volume 11 Issue 5 (2025) 90 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.5686