"The age of a woman doesn't mean a thing. The best tunes are played on the oldest fiddles." --Ralph Waldo Emerson
What do Bridgette Bardot, Sophia Loren, Lena Horne, Joan Collins, Cicely Tyson, Rita Moreno, Julie Andrews, Yoko Ono, and Diahann Carroll have in common? They're all wonderfully talented, dynamic female entertainers...and they're all over 70 years of age! Then there are the 60 somethings...the likes of Tina Turner, Bette Midler, Cher, Dionne Warwick, and Goldie Hawn.
While the vast majority of older women aren't rich and famous, the stereotypical images of older women in rocking chairs are giving way to a new definition of what it means to be older and female in our society. It is now recognized that women age differently than men, they live longer, have unique strengths and vulnerabilities, and face distinctly different challenges in maintaining their health. Increasingly, for example, older women are being represented in medical research studies that have led to greater understanding of osteoporosis, menopause, heart disease, and other conditions that affect an older women's life quality.
Beyond the health arena, older women have become a powerful political force to be reckoned with, increasingly being elected to public office and having a stronger voice in shaping our world. In this regard, Susan B. Anthony said it best: "The day will come when men will recognize woman as his peer, not only at the fireside, but in councils of the nation. Then, and not until then, will there be the perfect comradeship, the ideal union between the sexes that shall result in the highest development of the race."
This section presents information on the range of issues and situations facing older women today--from health, to work and economics, to demographic trends, to resources available to help older women use their gifts to age and live well.
Links to information on older women:
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