“Who Gets to Age With Dignity? Feminism and the Fight for Elder Justice”

Aging Isn’t a Failure—It’s a Feminist Frontier

She raised children.

She worked two jobs.

She voted in every election.

She gave everything she had to her family, her community, her country.

Now, she’s invisible.

Feminism has fought for women at every life stage—except the final one.

But aging is a feminist issue. Always has been. Always will be.

Because dignity shouldn’t end when youth does.

And justice doesn’t retire.

Where Are the Older Women in Feminism?

Scroll feminist media, and you’ll see:

• Gen Z girlbosses

• Millennial influencers

• Young leaders calling for change

But where are the elders?

• The grandmothers who marched in the ’60s

• The caretakers who held entire communities together

• The aging women who built the movement

They’re not gone.

They’re just written out.

Ageism is Gendered

Let’s be clear:

Aging men become “distinguished.”

Aging women become “expired.”

From media to medicine to the marketplace, ageism hits women first and hardest:

• Wrinkles are flaws

• Gray hair is shameful

• Menopause is mocked or ignored

• “Old” becomes a synonym for irrelevant

This isn’t biology.

It’s misogyny wrapped in marketing.

When Aging Meets Poverty

Aging with dignity requires resources.

But most older women don’t have them.

• Lifetime wage gaps leave them with less retirement savings

• Care work pulled them out of the workforce

• Pensions favor full-time, uninterrupted employment—rare for women

• Widows face compounded financial insecurity

In the U.S., women over 65 are 80% more likely to live in poverty than men.

Globally, it’s worse.

This isn’t just about aging.

It’s about economic justice.

The Invisible Labor of Elder Women

Even as they age, women keep giving:

• Grandmothers raising grandchildren

• Retired women caregiving for spouses

• Elder women volunteering in their communities

They do this unpaid. Unthanked. Often unrecognized.

We don’t call it what it is: continued labor.

And labor—at any age—deserves respect and support.

Healthcare Is a Feminist Battlefield

Aging women face medical gaslighting and neglect:

• Menopause symptoms dismissed

• Mental health overlooked

• Pain minimized

• Mobility struggles blamed on weight or age

And if they’re disabled, queer, or BIPOC?

The discrimination multiplies.

Feminist healthcare must include:

• Geriatric care reform

• Menopause education

• Anti-ageist training for providers

• Centering patient autonomy at every stage

The Loneliness Crisis

Elder women often face isolation, especially if they’re:

• Widowed or divorced

• Estranged from family

• Living alone

• Queer in hostile environments

Isolation isn’t just sad—it’s a public health issue.

Feminist community building means making space for intergenerational connection.

Not as charity, but as solidarity.

Elder Abuse: The Quiet Epidemic

1 in 6 older adults experience abuse—financial, emotional, physical, or neglect.

Most are women.

Most are dependent on their abusers.

Most cases go unreported.

This isn’t just a family issue.

It’s systemic violence.

And feminist justice demands protection for all women—not just the young and visible.

Queer and Trans Elders: Even More at Risk

LGBTQ+ elders face:

• Housing discrimination

• Healthcare erasure

• Lack of inclusive senior services

• Being forced back into the closet in nursing homes

They paved the way for today’s gender liberation—and now they’re often abandoned.

Feminism must include them.

Not later. Now.

• Representation Matters at Every Age

Older women are:

• Sages

• Storytellers

• Activists

• Organizers

• Teachers

• Fighters

And yet, media shows them as:

• Bitter

• Frail

• Witchy

• Comic relief

We need more:

• Older women in leadership

• Intergenerational feminist spaces

• Books, films, and platforms amplifying elder voices

Representation isn’t a bonus—it’s a battleground.

Feminism for All Ages

Let’s redefine what feminist inclusivity means:

• Making room at the table for elder voices

• Valuing wisdom as much as innovation

• Protecting aging bodies with the same urgency we protect youth

• Resisting ageism like we resist sexism, racism, ableism

Feminism doesn’t expire.

It expands.

What You Can Do—Right Now

• Start Conversations: Talk to elder women about their needs, fears, experiences.

• Support Elder-Led Initiatives: Whether local advocacy groups, oral history projects, or mentorship programs.

• Challenge Ageism Around You: Speak up when jokes, media, or policies erase older women.

• Fight for Elder Protections: Push your local representatives for housing, health, and economic rights.

• Build Intergenerational Movements: True progress isn’t linear—it’s layered.

Aging is Power, Not Decline

The question isn’t if you will age.

It’s how, and with what support.

We must dismantle a world that discards women as they grow older.

And in its place, build one where aging is honored, not hidden.

Where elder wisdom is sacred, not sidelined.

Where feminist freedom doesn’t fade with age—it deepens.

Because growing old isn’t a tragedy.

Being forgotten is.