Rebecca Richman writes for the online magazine 10 Thousand Couples about the discrimination that women face as they age:
When women grow old, gender discrimination is magnified. In a society that focuses on youth, older women face many different types of discrimination. This discrimination can inhibit women’s ability to lead healthy and independent lives in their later years. Older women face discrimination based on gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, and age – to name a few factors
LGBT older women experience a unique set of challenges as they age. Studies show that LGBT older women are more likely to live alone and be without the support of children and family than non-LGBT older women. Having lower incomes and living in lower-income areas, they are potentially with fewer resources during a time in their lives when they need them the most. Policy, health care, and societal attitudes toward older women hinder their ability to access aging and health services.
Now the question is what can we do about this beyond education?
