Aging Women's Journey Toward Wholeness: New Visions and Directions

Abstract

Through a postmodern/feminist exploration of postmenopausal women's narratives, set against a backdrop of a discourse analysis of pivotal biomedical texts, we revealed women's menopausal and postmenopausal aging life-cycle journey as a dynamic, positive, empowering women's process. Based on my analysis of themes in women's narratives I argue that the phenomenon of menopause is limited by a reductionist model and that a wholisitic model is more appropriate for women as they negotiate this significant aging life-cycle process to postmenopausal status. Finally, directions for supporting women to develop a wholistic approach to positive adult development, and how the aging woman can be given status, are suggested.