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Opening up Our Future
Older women deserve a
tremendous amount of respect and appreciation, particularly from those of us
who stand on the threshold of our own middle and old age. Never has a
generation of women experienced the degree of change and upheaval in their
social and personal lives as has the current cohort of women who are now in
their 60s, 70s and 80s and older. These are not "disadvantaged" women, but
women whose accomplishments, talents, perseverance and strengths have gone
unnoticed, often unappreciated and undervalued. The situations that many older
women find themselves in are often the result of social forces beyond their
control. Educational opportunities have not kept pace with the demands and
challenges they have faced and continue to face in negotiating phenomenal
personal and social transitions during the later period of their lives. In
exploring these issues with our mothers, grandmothers and older friends,
younger women have much to learn. Unless we ask, their knowledge will be buried
in silence. It is all too easy for us to forget that old age is the common
territory of everyone and that the current generation of elderly women are the
pioneers of what will inevitably be our inherited homeland. As we help to open
doors to their present lives, we are, in turn, opening the doors to our own
future.
Sharon Harold is currently finishing her Masters in Adult
Education at the University of British Columbia with a focus on the social
construction of aging, gender issues in aging and the development of
theoretical approaches in educational gerontology. She is currently editing a
book with James Thornton called Education in the Third Age: Canadian and
Japanese Perspectives. She is the mother of four school- aged children.
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Education for Public Awareness
- Presentation through the media of positive images of
older women to dispel negative stereotypes.
- Education of employers about the abilities and
potential of older women as persons with multiple and transferable skills, and
incentives for employers to hire older women.
- Incorporation of age and gender issues into disciplines
such as social science, economics, history, etc.
- Research on income, housing, transportation and
employment issues related to age and gender.
Policy and Funding Issues
- Advocacy at all levels of government to develop and
promote equitable policy in employment, health care, pensions, domestic
relationships, and education for older women.
- Educational funding through scholarships,
apprenticeships and subsidies for older re- entry women.
- Financial support for developing cooperative
enterprises, community networks and shared resource exchange.
- Recognition and support of caregivers and caregiving
roles for and by older women through funding, respite services, education and
compensation.
- Promotion and funding of research on women's aging
through grants and scholarships.
Campagne visant à sensibiliser le public
- Présentation par l'intermédiaire des
médias d'images positives des femmes d'un certain âge et les
inciter à embaucher des femmes d'un certain âge.
- Traiter dans les matières scolaires, comme les
sciences sociales, l'économic, l'histoire, etc., de questions portant
sur l'âge et les deux sexes.
- Procéder à des recherches sur des
questions relatives au revenu,au logement, au transport et à l'emploi
par rapport à l'âge et au sexe.
Mesures et subventions à envisager
- Faire pression à tous les niveaux de
gouvernement pour promouvoir une politique équitable à
l'égard des femmes d'un certain âge dans tous les domaines.
- Dans le domaine de l'éducation, octroi de
subventions par le biais de bourses, de stage d'apprentissage et de subsides
pour les femmes réintégrant le marché du travail.
- Appui financier pour mettre sur pied des entreprises
coopératives, des réseaux communautaires et des échanges
de ressources.
- Reconnaître et appuyer les personnes que
prodiguent des soins aux femmes d'un certain âge.
- Grâce à des subventions et des bourses,
promotion et financement des recherches effectuées sur le vieillissement
des femmes.
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