Women Ageing: Changing Identities, Challenging Myths

by Bernard,Miriam; Bernard,Miriam

• ISBN13: 9780415189446
• ISBN10: 0415189446
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Nonspecific Binding
• Copyright: 2001-01-24
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

This volume is primarily concerned with the lives of adult women and discusses key themes of identity; myths and reality and managing change. The book looks at the influence of ethnicity and race, disability and sexual orientation.

Author Biography

Miriam Bernard is Head of School and Professor of Social Gerontology Judith Phillips is Senior Lecturer in Social Work and Gerontology Linda Machin is Part time lecturer in Counselling and Applied Social Studies Val Harding Davies is Lecturer in Counselling, all at School of Social Relations, Keele University. Miriam Bernard (BA, PhD) is Professor of Social Gerontology and Head of the School of Social Relations, Keele University. Pat Chambers (BA, PGCE, MA) joined the School of Social Relations, Keele University, in June 2000 as a lecturer in social work. Gillian Granville (BA, MA, RN, RM, RHN, CPT) is Research and Development Manager at the Beth Johnson Foundation, a national organisation based in Staffordshire which aims to develop and research innovative practice with women and men over 50 years of age. Val Harding Davies (BEd, Dip. Counselling, MA, Cert. Counselling Supervision, Advanced Diploma) is Director of Counselling Courses at Keele University. Linda Machin (MA) has been actively engaged in research and practice related to bereavement since 1979. and is a lecturer at Keele University. Judith Phillips (BA, Dip. Soc. Sci., MSc, CQSW, PhD) is Senior Lecturer in Social Work and Gerontology and Director of the Social Work Programme at Keele University. Mo Ray (BA, MSc, CQSW, Dip. Geron. PhD) graduated in 1988 from the Open University and subsequently qualified as a social worker, receiving her Masters degree in 1990 from the University of London. She works as an Associate Lecturer for the Open University and as a Research Fellow at Keele. Julie Skucha (BA, MA, PhD) is currently Research Fellow in the Centre for Research into Quality at the University of Central England.

Table of Contents

List of illustrations	p. x
List of contributors	p. xi
Acknowledgements	p. xiv
Foreword	p. xv
Women ageing: changing identities, challenging myths	p. 1
Introduction	p. 1
Rethinking theory	p. 2
Perspectives from critical gerontology	p. 4
Feminist perspectives	p. 8
The development of feminism	p. 9
Biographical and life-course perspectives	p. 12
The impact of these perspectives on our own work	p. 16
About this book	p. 17
Conclusion	p. 21
'Women's work' and the transition to retirement	p. 23
Introduction	p. 23
The study	p. 24
'Women's work'	p. 27
Women don't retire...	p. 31
Preparing for later life	p. 34
Conclusion: reflections on theory and practice	p. 37
Working carers: caring workers	p. 40
Introduction	p. 40
The demographics of care and employment	p. 41
Identity of working carers	p. 42
Myths and misconceptions	p. 44
The experience of paid and unpaid caring	p. 52
Discussion: developing a life-course perspective	p. 56
Our ageing selves: reflections on growing older	p. 58
Introduction	p. 58
Exploring the existing literature	p. 59
Reflections on growing older	p. 65
Looking forward	p. 70
Our ageing selves	p. 71
Menopause: a time of private change to a mature identity	p. 74
Introduction	p. 74
Current discourses on menopause	p. 75
Seeking to understand women's experiences	p. 80
Menopause as a time of change	p. 82
Recognising the changing private self	p. 86
Hiding from the public gaze	p. 87
Conclusion	p. 91
Older women undergraduates: choices and challenges	p. 93
Introduction	p. 93
The study	p. 95
The findings	p. 96
Conclusion: combating the myths	p. 107
Women's voices in bereavement	p. 110
Introduction	p. 110
Women's voices in the theory of grief	p. 110
The experience of grief	p. 115
Mid-life and older women's responses to loss	p. 119
Women's coping styles	p. 122
Discussion	p. 124
Conclusion	p. 125
Widowhood in later life	p. 127
Introduction	p. 127
Reviewing the literature	p. 128
Theoretical perspectives	p. 130
An alternative approach	p. 133
The diverse experience of later life widowhood	p. 135
Challenging the stereotype	p. 146
Conclusion	p. 146
Older women, long-term marriage and care	p. 148
Introduction	p. 148
Myself and my research	p. 149
Examining the literature	p. 150
The study	p. 155
Concluding discussion	p. 165
Women ageing: changing policy, challenging practice	p. 168
Introduction	p. 168
Changing policy, challenging practice	p. 169
Women researching: reflections on method	p. 173
Women writing: reflections on the collaborative process	p. 174
Women ageing: reflections on our own ageing	p. 175
Conclusion: where to now?	p. 177
Bibliography	p. 179
Index	p. 198
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