Women in Late Life Critical Perspectives on Gender and Age [Hardcover]

Holstein, a feminist scholar of aging, has written a compelling book about the distinctive challenges facing older women in the contemporary US. ?Older women share universal challenges ranging from biological aging to both subtle and overt ageism, yet their lived experiences vary widely based on their social locationsincluding race, social class, sexual orientation, (dis)ability status, and even physical appearance.? The author integrates personal insights drawn from her experiences as a septuagenarian woman scholar with empirical social science research, critical gerontology theory, descriptions of cultural forces that (dis)empower older women, and informal interviews with the women of Mayslake, an independent living facility outside Chicago.? The book?builds on two additional themes. ?First, power informs both how one ages and the organization of resources, opportunities, and benefits afforded to older women. ?Second, old should not be a devalued and stigmatized status, but one that is celebrated and respected. ?These themes set the foundation for substantive chapters on ageism, chronic illness, long-term care, retirement, end-of-life care, and activism. ?Holstein provides a thought-provoking and intimate tutorial into the lives and challenges of contemporary older women. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above.In many ways, this volume represents Martha Holsteins tour de force as a feminist scholar of aging, as an activist, and as an ethicist. Here we have a beautifully written book that combines the personal and the political; it employs both interdisciplinary and critical gerontological and feminist perspectives. Holstein does not shy away from the complexities and challenges of aging, including end-of-life issues. Yet she also empowers us to take charge of our aging and to shape it despite the powerful ageist cultural messages that permeate our daily lives. Indeed, she gives us a template for disrupting dominant ways of thinl“*