From the many books you have written and all the research you have done for them, what have you found most unexpected in the attitude regarding aging, and also women’s empowerment?
– Tina K.W.
The truth is, there is nothing unexpected that I found in the attitude regarding aging – and that’s the problem. The conflation of sexism and ageism has been around way too long, and now it is showing up big time along with the other “–isms” as a result of the COVID-19 impact across all sectors. The shadow side of our American capitalism is being illuminated, revealing the abysmal differences in the availability and accessibility of quality health care and aging care through the lifespan based solely on -isms.
The story we tell ourselves about aging is not going to change until we unravel the tangle of untruths and mythology. We have learned to internalize ageism in our deepest psyches, in our own Inner Sexist/Patriarch, our Inner Ageist™ and Inner Midlife Dragon™.
Until we each begin to examine our own biases about aging and women, there is little chance that we will see society-wide change.
In addition to owning our own internalized biases, we have to start by disentangling all our sexism from our ageism and look at both separately.
My hope is that the reckoning we now face will gift us reclamation. The good news is that there is much greater possibility that we can radically reinvent a future that will invite the wisdom of both women and elders into leadership roles in the C-Suite and on Boards and selected and/or nominated to serve in high-ranking positions in local, national and global affairs – with their insight, there is a greater chance of solving some of the world’s most pressing problems.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.