Building Knowledge


Gaining Visibility
Older Women and Education

by Sharon Harold

Aging
women are
still the
"invisible
majority" of
elderly in
Canada,
despite their
increasing
numbers.

During the past three years of studying and working in the area of education for older adults, I have become aware of the general "invisibility" of older women, although in fact, they are the fastest growing sector of the Canadian population and far outnumber older men. By the twenty-first century, there will be anywhere from 3.75 to 4 million women 65 and over in Canada - about 14-15 per cent of the total population (Statistics Canada 1985). Due to our greater longevity, women outnumber men increasingly as we age.1

A huge proportion of older women in Canada are living in poverty - between 60 and 78 per cent (Gee and Kimball 1987). Inflation and the lack of affordable housing make the problem of poverty for Canada's aging women all the more devastating (Task Force on Older Women 1983). The increasing number of older women and their high rates of poverty, unemployment and health risks are a challenge to governments to develop resources and services that will contribute to their well-being. However, many of the problems women face in the later years have less to do with aging itself, than with the inequities women experience throughout their lives. We have to re-think what it means to be "old" and to be "female" in our culture. Until we do, aging and old age will be predominantly a "women's issue" (Gee and Kimball 1987; McDaniel 1989; Roebuck 1983).

The Invisible Majority

Aging women are still the "invisible majority" of elderly in Canada, despite their in- creasing numbers. Until the 1970s, older women had gone virtually unrecognized in academic literature in gerontology, sociology, and women's studies. Aging research has paid little attention to sex differences, and research on sex differences has rarely included the later years (Gatzet al. 1984). Research on aging and sex differences have ignored the reality of older women's lives, ignoring in turn how sexism and the social construction of old age has contributed to older women's low morale, diminished self-esteem, and lack of confidence.

Les recherches que Sharon Harold a effectuées sur les femmes d'un certain âge lui ont fait prendre conscience que ces femmes étaient absentes des recherches en sciences sociales et des services sociaux. Bien que ces femmes représentent le segment démographique dont l'effectif augmente le plus rapidement (les femmes d'un certain âge sont beaucoup plus nombreuses que les hommes d'un certain âge), on ne s'est pas préoccupé jusqu'à présent de leurs besoins et de leurs problèmes.

Certaines des difficultés qu'éprouvent les femmes d'un certain âge, dont la pauvreté, le chômage et le fait d'être tenues à l'écart, relèvent moins de leur âge que des inégalités qu'elles ont connues toute leur vie en tant que problèmes de la vieillesse sont étrangement semblables à ceux auxquels se heurtent les femmes et plongent leurs racines dans notre société ou le sexisme et le manque de respect des vieux et vieilles sont bien ancrés.

Il n'existe presque pas de programmes éducatifs conçus spécifiquement à l'intention des femmes d'un certain âge. Les programmes pour les personnes du troisième âge mettent davantage l'accent sur les besoins récréatifs de ce groupe d'âge, au lieu de s'attacher à leurs besoins concrets, dont perfectionnement professionnelle et acquisition de compétences. Sharon Harold propose un programme pour se pencher sur les besoins en matière d'éducation des femmes d'un certain âge.


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