Interest in Genealogy

In the Australian paper The Age (2003), columnist Julie Szego says "when we search our family histories we are really searching for ourselves." O'Hare (2002) suggests that interest in genealogy first surged in the 1890's with the creation of the "Daughters of the American Revolution" and "Society of Mayflower descendants." The staying power of DAR begs the question: are men or women more likely to take an interest in genealogy?

The answer appears to be no. Salmon and Daly (1999) reported that birth order, not sex, predicted an interest in genealogy. Lambert (2002) found that people who did not believe in the afterlife were more likely to take an interest in genealogy, as part of "symbolic and largely secular strategies designed to extend the time frame of their lives beyond their personal biographies." Again, no gender differences were reported. However, neither of these studies directly addressed sex X interest interactions. It appears possible that this question has not been adequately examined.

---

I had sort of a blind rage earlier this week about a web ad. A genealogy site was advertising with an antique photo of a tightrope walker and the caption "Find out where you got your fear of heights." This strikes me as a huge part of what is wrong with ancestor worship. I did expect to find a difference between men and women on genealogical interest, favoring women, but I didn't find any research supporting that. My boss and I were talking about our legacy once, the imprint we would leave behind on the world. I talked about the research and writing I wanted to do. She talked about her granddaughter. I thought this pattern would be more widespread, but it appears I'm projecting my neuroses on the world again.