Had Barbie aged like the rest of us,today she would be 83 years old,giving her another 2.4 years to reach the average life expectancy for females in Australia.Credit:iStock
Having been frozen at the age of 19,Barbie has no context for what it means to age — no knowledge of the prejudices and stigmas that come with ageing in the real world. What Barbie captures in this moment is the oft-overlooked truth of the beauty in ageing.
In reality — or thereal real world — the experience of growing older as a woman can mean being faced with ageist stereotypes and ways of thinking within our communities which can lead to a range of health impacts,both mental and physical.
Last year at the National Ageing Research Institute,we released theWhat Do Older People Want From Their Healthcare? report,which showed that older people still feel the impacts of ageism in their daily lives. Research published in 2016 found,in Australia,experiences of ageism are decreasing less for women than for men.
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For example,women’s appearances continue to be more harshly scrutinised in employment settings. Older women of my acquaintance tell me that it is bad enough to be over 50,but if you are over 50 and overweight,forget your chances of getting a job.
Being forced out of the workforce and into early retirement has myriad flow-on effects,includinglower incomes,assets,superannuation and poorer health,putting women at greater risk of elder abuse and homelessness.
Women aged over 55 are the fastest-growing group of Australians facing homelessness. In August 2020,the Housing for the Aged Action Group estimated that more than 240,000 women were at risk. And for women with disabilities,First Nations women and other women of colour,these risks are exacerbated.