Constant casual stereotyping of older women

[ScrubTheDecks]

I find myself quite disappointed in the way older women are frequently spoken if in dismissive and disparaging ways on MN. Beyond the ‘old bat / bag did such and such on a bus’ insults.

When a poster challenged this there is a refrain of justification that goes “it is relevant to say ‘old woman’ because older people are set in their ways, prone to be judgmental / nosy / fussy” which is in itself a stereotype and a prejudiced generalisation.

Of course some older people are like this, as are some younger people. “My house, my rules”, judgmental posts all over MN, AIBUs based on an unwillingness to make changes to accommodate other people....

A woman of 60 grew up in the 60s and 70s. She wore hot pants, smoked weed at Uni, was at the start of her working life fighting for the Sex Discrimination Act and the Equal Pay Act. From Greenock to Greenham Common women now 60-80 fought the establishment.

A 60 year old now may well go to Glastonbury, have a ‘big job’, or have retired and be the person you see at CAB or is on the end of the phone at Women’s Aid.

A woman over the age of 50 is largely invisible / ignored by men at work, and faces real difficulty getting more work if made redundant.

On MN at least, can we stop dismissing women and mothers who happen to be older than us and making their age the problem?

Thanks from one of the invisible. I may be 50 (plus) but I could give plenty of 30 year olds a run for their money and have a wealth of experience (some unprintable!)

Well said, Scrubthedacks.

Absolutely! I’m in my 60’s, have been a feminist since the 1970’s, worked 36 years as a hospital doc, and raised two kids alone after being widowed young. I very much object to being dismissed as an old biddy. My generation had to fight a mass of discrimination to get even basic rights, and we certainly don’t all develop dementia the minute we retire! Actually, as the baby boomers are such a large cohort, we may be able to change attitudes by sheer clout of voting and purchasing power.

Good for you, Babdoc!
And during the years when you didn’t get child benefit for your first child, and no free nursery hours.

Hah! You have worked as a doctor for the NHS for more than half of its existence! Well done.

I’m 31 and disappointed with my generation’s political apathy and prissiness compared to my 62-year-old mum and her friends of around the same age.

Older than what?

Totally agree, and you also see an awful lot of 'generation snowflake/entitled/young people have no manners' blah blah. Both ridiculous.

It annoys me that the stereotype of 60+ is still the same as it was when I was in my 20’s (I’m 64 now). By that I mean dowdy frumpy clothes, rigid old fashioned views and so on. It’s ridiculous. There’s a R4 so-called comedy on at the moment, the 60ish “seniors” on there speak and have attitudes similar to old people in the 1950s. Writers really need to move on.
In my reality, women of my age are often still working, dress well, have fun and are pretty unchanged from their younger days, bar some wrinkles and grey hair - and are happier and more relaxed (if no health problems).