This so resonated with me because the older I get, the more I feel disdained. I don't think women have the gravitas that older men enjoy. No, the older women get, the more their clout diminishes. It's the reverse of what I perceive men experience as they age. I'm also recalling something I read back when Bernie and Hillary were vying for the Democratic nomination: Bernie was the cute grandpa, but Hillary was the crazy old woman.
Why is this?
What I find really interesting about this loss of gravitas as women age is how women seem to look in other places for the power they are losing. It brings to mind the idea that women in my own culture in heterosexual marriages tend to take over control of the household because that may be all they have, which includes child rearing. And as was mentioned in the readings a few weeks ago, many women teach their children to increase their proximity to men as that is where their power comes from. I wonder how many women feel secure enough in their position to teach their children to be independent of men and break down patriarchal power structures?
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