Significant Relationships Among Older Women: Cultural and Personal Constructions of Lesbianism

SUMMARY

This paper focuses on the interactive nature of the relationship between personal and public constructions of lesbianism in the lives of older women. The cultural construction of lesbianism involves the historical and environmental context of the meaning of lesbianism framed within a societal level. Our discussion evolves around a case study of a lesbian in her eighties, living with a partner in rural Minnesota, We show that when public definitions are unavailable, older lesbians may not define certain aspects of their experience.