Research reviewed regarding elder abuse indicates that there is little consensus surrounding the variables of gender, age and incidence. This project analyzed 99 incidents of elder abuse by an adult child and 86 incidents of elder abuse by a spouse, and compared the groups using the variables, gender, age, and incidence. The results were analyzed and discussed using a feminist perspective. The results indicated that there are differences between the groups, and that traditional ideas about women and men, as well as ideas about the nature of the old are factors in elder abusive relationships. Directions for further research are discussed.