Ageing and Female Identity in Midlife

How do middle aged women experience the process of growing older? Does their sense of self change during midlife? In recent years it has been argued that it is not possible to offer an adequate theory of women's experience and self-understanding without addressing the bodily aspects of the constitution of identity in their social context. According to the 'double standard of ageing' hypothesis, women are not permitted to age in ways that men are; they are marginalized and ignored not only by popular culture but also by some sociologists and gerontologists. Thus, there is a need for rethinking current theory so as to ensure that midlife women become more visible. The themes explored include: body image in midlife, participants' notions of middle age, methods women use in order to control the signs of ageing, female sexuality in midlife, life milestones, ageism. The book contributes to the current debates within social sciences by offering new data that corroborate the hypothesis of the embodied nature of female identity, and the view that ageing is experienced as a defining factor in the development of personal female identity