Amanda Dykema-Engblade

Civic Engagement and the Power of Older Women

This chapter examines the important contributions of older women to society, and the mutual benefit of having older women actively engaged and contributory in societal activities (eg, volunteerism). As will be discussed, the degree to which older women’s contributions are valued is shaped by historical, cultural, and personal factors within a community and broader society.

Women’s Economic Health and Work/Retirement in Later Life

The purpose of this content in Chapter 12 is to examine the role of aging women in the workplace and how their role changes once they retire. It should not be assumed that men and women are exactly the same in terms of working or retiring in later life. Across a woman’s life span, the meaning of “work” and its implications toward her self-concept are important to examine from a positive aging perspective. From a cross-cultural perspective, the balancing of work and nonwork roles (eg, “superwoman” syndrome; Shaevitz, 1984) across a woman’s life span can meaningfully impact a woman’s physical and cognitive health. The full range of activities are important to consider as they relate to supportive interventions (eg, work skill updating) for women as they live longer than ever before and may want or need to be engaged in work/career activities past traditional retirement age. A comparison of aging women’s and men’s experiences of “career work-life extension” and/or entrance into retirement is necessary in order to best understand the gender-specific issues of needed resources for these evolving stages of life.

Diversity among Older Women

The purpose of Chapter 8 is to examine and apply issues of diversity from a biological, social, gender, cultural, and other factors to the aging experiences of women in the world. If positive aging supports are to be created and implemented in communities and broader societies, it is crucial to better understand the many ways women age over time. It would be unethical for a society to treat all older women as a homogeneous group, and it would be equally detrimental to both society and its aging population to transfer this biased attitude to the creation of “cookie cutter” policies and programs designed for this growing aging subpopulation.

Physical Changes and Self-Perceptions in Women’s Aging

The purpose of Chapter 5 is to examine women’s physical aging across the life span and how this developmental process impacts a woman’s ego development and associated “self-schema.” As with physical aging, it should not be assumed that men and women are exactly the same in terms of their physical health needs. How well a woman ages depends upon many social support and environmental factors, in addition to genetic determinants. Role-related demands for women can significantly influence the degree to which there are “opportunities” and “limitations” in aging women’s maintenance of physical functioning into later life. The aim of such an examination is to identify factors that can then be incorporated into supportive interventions (eg, education, environmental redesign) for women as they age. The impact of contextual factors upon women’s physical health into later life needs to be identified, and is the rationale behind this chapter to better understand positive aging as a function of physical health resources and support for women across the world.

Breaking Stereotypes of Aging Women

The purpose of Chapter 13 is to discuss the best ways to reduce stereotypes and associated discrimination potentially faced by older women in many different cultures of the world. Women may experience social barriers to opportunities in life because they are identified as being both a “woman” and “older,” creating a potentially harmful and certainly limiting “double jeopardy” social reaction toward older women in society. In order to optimize the positive outcomes of women’s aging across the world, it is important to understand these attitudinal “barriers” to women’s life experiences and opportunities.

Aging Women and Health Longevity

In Chapter 6, past research and associate content focus on genetic and environmental support factors underlying aging women’s longevity. From a positive aging perspective, research regarding how women can extend personal health longevity is reviewed.

Public Policies and the Next Steps in the Evolution of Women’s Aging

Finally, this chapter presents information related to current public policies in response to an aging female population and speculates on where public policy needs to expand to accommodate the demographic shift in the world female population for decades to come. Public policies need to be reexamined and adapted to the changing needs of aging women who are both living longer and living healthier than ever before. Public policies and programs need to be updated to better reflect the current status of older women and those involved in their lives, either directly or indirectly.

Importance of Daily Physical Activity for Older Women

Finally, Chapter 7 examines the important issue of physical exercise to the quality of women’s overall aging well-being. Education and supportive community programs are suggested as approaches to motivate aging women to adopt a preventative, wellness perspective in their aging physical health. It is important to acknowledge that these efforts are shaped by historical, cultural, and personal factors within a woman’s aging self-concept and general attitudes about aging.

Aging Women and Mental Aerobics

Finally, Chapter 4 presents information on how women can engage in proactive strategies to remain cognitively healthy in order to best support current and future cognitive competency, barring any nonnormative life events (eg, onset of Alzheimer’s disease). This chapter emphasizes the need to empower aging women to optimize their cognitive functioning, which has important implications toward personal autonomy and other qualities of life outcomes.

Expansion of Women’s Roles in Later Life

Chapter 9 discusses the lifespan roles of women and their associated impact on the quality of their gaining into later life. Social roles for women as they get older can have a meaningful potential for opportunities of physical and mental engagement in society. The benefit of social engagement and cognitive stimulation, among other benefits to the older women and the community receiving these activities, cannot be understated as being part of a positive aging process.