Middle age has long been perceived as a time of loss and decline for women. This book traces a profound new shift away from marginalization, in the wake of the women's movement and other cultural events. Today, women in midlife stand at the forefront of a great transformation of cultural attitudes: rejecting stereotypes, embracing new opportunities, and forming what the authors call "a new collective middle-aged identity." Women over 50 explores the emergence of contemporary understanding of the midlife experience, reviewing the current state of research and knowledge in such important topics as illness, body image and exercise; love, romance, and sexuality; friendship and support systems; "the sandwich generation"; re-creating the role of grandmothers; retirement and financial stability, and more. Bridging a significant gap in feminist-psychology literature, and offering insight into future research, it balances optimism and realism about the lives of older women - and the future of younger women.

Autorentext

Joan C. Chrisler is Professor of Psychology at Connecticut College, where she teaches courses on the psychology of women and health psychology. She has published dozens of journal articles and book chapters on women's health and embodiment, and she is particularly known for her work on menstruation and menopause, autoimmune disorders, body image, weight, and eating disorders. She has served as Editor of Sex Roles: A Journal of Research, and among her previous books are From Menarche to Menopause: The Female Body in Feminist Therapy, Lectures on the Psychology of Women, and Arming Athena: Career Strategies for Women in Academe. Varda Muhlbauer is a senior Lecturer in the Department of Management and Business Administration at the Academic College of Netanya, Israel. She has worked extensively over many years in teaching, researching, and consulting regarding women's issues from a feminist perspective. She was among the initiators of a pioneering center in Israel that conducted programs designed to advance women in the workplace and to aid women in distress. The center was based on principles of feminist social psychology and utilized cognitive-behavioral interventions.

Inhalt

Preface Mary Gergen Introduction Varda Muhlbauer and Joan C. Chrisler 1. Body Image Issues of Women over 50 Joan C. Chrisler 2. Women and Sex at Midlife: Desire, Definition, and Diversity Maureen C. McHugh 3. Living Longer, Healthier Lives Susan D. Lonborg and Cheryl B. Travis 4. On the Move: Exercise, Leisure Activities, and Midlife Women Ruth L. Hall 5. The Well-being and Quality of Life of Women over 50: A Gendered Age Perspective Varda Muhlbauer 6. Enjoying the Returns: Women's Friendships after 50 Suzanna M. Rose 7. Contemporary Midlife Grandparenthood Liat Kulik 8. Women over 50: Caregiving Issues Rosalie J. Ackerman and Martha E. Banks 9. Work and Retirement: Challenges and Opportunities for Women over 50 Judith A. Sugar 10. Empowerment: A Prime Time for Women over 50 Florence L. Denmark and Maria D. Klara