Women in Later Life: Exploring Race and Ethnicity

Authors: Haleh Afshar, Myfanwy Franks, Mary Ann Maynard, Sharon Wray
Publisher: Open University Press
Edition: 1
Publish Year: 2008
ISBN: 9780335215256

Britain, along with other Western and industrialized countries, has an ageing population. We already live in one of the demographically oldest societies to have ever existed and the population is going to get older. By 2020 it is estimated that one third of the population will be aged over 50. Furthermore, older women outnumber older men, since men tend to die at a younger age than women.

In the academic mainstream relatively little is known about older women from minority ethnic communities. This groundbreaking book is based on interviews and focus groups with women of different backgrounds and ethnicities whose lives illustrate the strength of character and optimism that have often enabled them to live through hard times but who, in general, view later life positively.

In seeking to understand the relationships between age, gender and ethnicity, the authors focus on a number of key themes including:

Family and networks
Health and well being
Religion, faith and spirituality
Income, pensions and housing
The meaning of identity and life course events
Death and dying Women in Later Life will be key reading for students and practitioners with an interest in gender and/or issues surrounding later life.