Activism Among Older Women in Quebec, Canada: Changing the World After Age 65

ABSTRACT

The aim of this article is to examine senior women's involvement experience in Quebec, Canada. Study results are based on a qualitative methodology, and shed light on family history and continuity in the involvement trajectory, diversity in terms of group type and involvement practices, and gender differences in involvement. The meaning that older women attribute to their involvement is also addressed, including attitudes toward feminism. The discussion highlights the extent to which older women's involvement has been marked by their life trajectories, above and beyond their age. In sum, their involvement in the private and public spheres is quite impressive.

KEYWORDS:

• Older women
• aging
• involvement
• Quebec
• seniors
• feminism

The research reported in this paper was supported by the The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).

Notes

The Quebec provincial Ministère de la Famille, des Aînés et de la Condition féminine (Ministry of Family, Seniors, and the Status of Women) notes that the 65-plus population will double in less than 30 years(www.mfacf.gouv.qc.ca).

Quoted in Prisuta (2004).