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Health & Sexuality Info

ageism

Ageism is a form of bigotry against people based on their age. It includes stereotypes (how people think about ageing and the elderly), prejudice (how people feel about ageing and the elderly), and discrimination (how people and institutions behave towards and treat ageing and the elderly).

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Resources

Older Women: Inequality at the Intersection of Age and Gender

An older woman looks out a window

This infographic provides facts and statistics about the challenges that working women face as they grow older, especially in the wake of the COVID pandemic.

Stories & Conversations

Stories on Gender, Aging, and Care Work

An elderly mother and her older adult daughter pose for a picture together

These personal essays reflect on feminism, ageism, social inequalities, and care work. Essayists Joan Dizion, Phyllis Mitzen, Connie Goldman, and Nancy Hooyman write about their personal journeys, and call for more feminist work on women and aging.

Resources

Wisdom from the OBOS Founders

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Founders of Our Bodies Ourselves discuss their personal experience of aging and their continued commitment to making health and sexuality information accessible to all women and gender-expansive people.

Resources

Age Pride: Ageism and the Queer Experience

People of different ages, races, genders, and sexualities celebrate Pride

Ryan Backer speaks to how age activism and queer activism intersect, and how age pride can aid us in overcoming ageism.

Resources

Relationships & Sex: Don't Be Afraid of Hard Conversations

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In this episode, we hear from musician and organizer, Sheryl Wiser, who found love again in her 60s; and Dr. Jane Fleishman, a certified sexuality educator who promotes the sexual wellness of older adults.

Resources

Work and Retirement: Figuring It All Out

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This episode explores how to make retirement meaningful and successful. Guests: artist Linda Keene, sociologists Kendra Jason and Toni Calasanti, and researcher Jill Steinberg.

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Confronting Discrimination in Health Care: From Disrespect to Denying Treatment

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In this episode of Next Chapters, Mindy Fried shares an unnerving set of experiences she had with a medical practitioner. Journalist Judith Graham shares her insights on ageism in health care, and sociologist Dr. Karen Bullock draws on her seminal research and experience to discuss the impact of racism on access to health care for older Black people.

Resources

Age Discrimination and Women 50+

An older woman sits alone at the end of a table opposite a group of four people looking at a sheet of paper

The AARP surveyed women aged 50 and over about the the age, gender, racial, class, and weight discrimination that they experience. Here are their findings.

Resources

Get the Facts on Women and Aging

A doctor explains medical results to an older woman

This fact sheet from the NCOA reports on women's experiences of aging and ageism in retirement, in health care, and as caregivers ourselves.

Resources

Calling Out Age & Gender Discrimination

The back of a younger white man in a brown leather jacket speaking with an older white woman in a blazer

Kristen Shaughnessy discusses age discrimination, including how it intersects with gender discrimination, particularly for journalists like herself.

The Latest

Sex and Aging: An Our Bodies Ourselves Conversation

A purple and teal gradient background with the text "sex and aging" and headshots of Heather Corinna, Judy Norsigian, and Aida Manduley

Sex and Aging: An Our Bodies Ourselves Conversation - December 10, 2024

Resources

Rethinking What It Means to Age

A racially diverse and multigenerational group of people

This zine, created by nonbinary activist Ryan Backer, raises awareness of ageism within an intersectional context, by rethinking the binary of young versus old.