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Moving forward in time does not diminish women—it enlarges them. And this despite the fact that “old age” often deepens gender inequalities. In France, for example, women’s pensions are far lower than those of men, with an average gap of around 37 to 40 percent—a difference explained by shorter careers, part-time work, lower wages and career interruptions linked to family responsibilities. Meanwhile, grey hair at men’s temples is viewed far more kindly than it is for women—far from it. On screen, women over 50 appear three times less often than men.
Yet men do not age better than women; they are simply allowed to age.
It is around this theme—women’s ageing in all its diversity—that we chose to focus this new issue of Medfeminiswiya in the month of March, which celebrates women’s struggles.
From Algeria to Turkey, and from Italy to Palestine, articles by our correspondents tackle this last taboo—deconstructing stereotypes, unpacking social injunctions and sometimes reporting harsh realities, such as those of “grandmothers against their will” in Gaza.
(Re)enchanting old age is also part of the story told by our journalists in Egypt, France and Lebanon, through portraits of Lebanese grandmothers who are dynamic, independent and resolutely autonomous.
