Older Women in Academia: Contemporary History and Issues

Although some older female scholars have risen to positions of prominence and respect in their institutions and fields, many more have remained in the background or on the periphery, marginalized by age-related discriminatory practices that are both pervasive and unacknowledged. This article examines the social and institutional factors that have shaped the present-day careers and experiences of older women in academia. It analyzes the effects of institutional disregard and denigration of family role demands on older women's careers, as well as the age-related stereotyping, exclusion, and exploitation that have often limited their advancement and their satisfaction in their work. In addition, it considers the ways in which older women's internalization of societal and institutional ageism has helped to perpetuate their marginality, and proposes means by which the combined ageism and sexism affecting the careers of older women faculty can be addressed.