Transitions in Midlife Women's Lives: Contemporary Experiences

Abstract

In this article I report on a research project conducted in Perth, Western Australia, which investigated how contemporary women experience physiological and psychosocial midlife transitions. Qualitative in-depth interviews explored the challenges confronting women during this period. In doing so, continuities and divergences that exist between existing literature on midlife transitions and women's own perspectives are highlighted. Based on key findings, I suggest that while most women manage the “classic” transitions of menopause and the “empty nest” relatively well, the impact of divorce and the aging and death of parents present more serious long-term challenges to women.