Women over 50: Psychological Perspectives

Varda Muhlbauer · Joan C. Chrisler

Ago 2007 · Springer Science & Business Media

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A woman’s middle age had traditionally been regarded as a time of loss and decline. But in the wake of the women's movement and other societal and cultural events, a profound shift has taken place. Far from being marginalized, midlife women stand at the forefront of a great transformation of cultural perceptions and attitudes. They are rejecting stereotypes, embracing new opportunities, and forming what this important book terms "a new collective middle-aged identity."

Women over 50: Psychological Perspectives analyzes the challenges, benefits, coping strategies, problems, and accomplishments associated with the midlife experience. Ten chapters present the state of research (and correct longstanding myths) regarding significant aspects of middle-aged women's lives:

• Mind-body: illness, body image, exercise
• Love, romance, and sexuality
• Friendship and support systems
• "The sandwich generation"
• Re-creating the role of grandmothers
• Retirement and financial stability
• Using personal empowerment to empower others
• Quality of life and future directions

Women over 50 bridges a major knowledge gap in the feminist-psychology literature, making it an essential resource for clinicians and advanced students. It balances optimism and realism about older women’s lives—and younger women’s futures.

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Joan C. Chrisler is Professor of Psychology at Connecticut College, where she teaches courses on the psychology of women and health psychology. She has published dozens of journal articles and book chapters on women's health and embodiment, and she is particularly known for her work on menstruation and menopause, autoimmune disorders, body image, weight, and eating disorders. She has served as Editor of Sex Roles: A Journal of Research, and among her previous books are From Menarche to Menopause: The Female Body in Feminist Therapy, Lectures on the Psychology of Women, and Arming Athena: Career Strategies for Women in Academe.

Varda Muhlbauer is a senior Lecturer in the Department of Management and Business Administration at the Academic College of Netanya, Israel. She has worked extensively over many years in teaching, researching, and consulting regarding women's issues from a feminist perspective. She was among the initiators of a pioneering center in Israel that conducted programs designed to advance women in the workplace and to aid women in distress. The center was based on principles of feminist social psychology and utilized cognitive-behavioral interventions.