Sex Discrimination after Death

Death notices and obituaries published during the same calendar month (March, 1975) by daily newspapers in Boston and New York were examined for possible sex bias. A clear pattern of male preference was found. A disproportionately low number of women received obituaries, and female obituaries were also shorter. The likelihood of a recently deceased male receiving an obituary with a photograph was approximately ten times greater than that of a female. These results suggest that terminal rites of passage tend to confirm and perpetuate rather than challenge or transfigure previously existing values. Discussion includes possible use of obituaries as an unobtrusive measure of social change, as well as some aspects of the death system's involvement in discriminatory policies.