Gender and Ageism in the Academy
Universities minimize the influence of older women not only by removing them from positions of power but also in more subtle ways, argues Susan M. Shaw.
"[...] Audre Lorde noted that ageism distorts relationships and encourages people to repeat mistakes of the past. [...]
Older women in the university have valuable institutional memory. [...] Younger colleagues can draw on older women’s institutional memory as a tool in their own efforts to transform the institution. [...]
Pushing older women to the side, then, is counterproductive for younger colleagues who want to make serious institutional change. Just imagine how much movements for social justice in universities would be advanced by solidarity among younger colleagues and older tenured women who don’t care what anyone thinks anymore and are not afraid to stand up to institutional power."
Susan M. Shaw is professor of women’s, gender and sexuality studies at Oregon State University.
For the full article, visit: https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2020/03/04/universities-should-not-minimize-influence-older-women-academe-opinion