Gender a výzkum / Gender and Research 2008, 9 (2): 28-36

Ageing as a Gendered Experience: Marginalization and the Agency of Ageing Women

Jaroslava Hasmanová Marhánková

Ageing is process that is always gendered. Gender shapes the life biography and the norms and expectations that are imposed on individuals as they age. On the other hand, the experience of ageing affects the mechanism of creating and negotiating gender identity. This article critically discusses debates surrounding gender inequalities in old age. These debates often focus on older women as a group that is highly disadvantaged owing to the combined effects of sexism and ageism. This article critically discusses this "problem of old women" and shows alternative views of women's experiences of ageing. It highlights the necessity to understand age and gender as two intertwining systems. It points out that ageing can in many respects create room for a redefinition of gender roles and expectation. The intersection of age and gender cannot be seen as a simple combination of two categories and must instead be viewed as a process that creates a specific social location, which can generate new forms of inequalities.

Keywords: Ageing, gender, inequalities

Published: June 1, 2008  Show citation

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Hasmanová Marhánková, Jaroslava. 2008. "Ageing as a Gendered Experience: Marginalization and the Agency of Ageing Women." Gender, Equal Opportunities, Research 9(2):28-36.
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