The Roles Women Play - Menopause And Your Life: Menopause Managing The Change Of Life

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The roles women play

In the mid-1970s, women in their mid-to-late 50s were referred to as "elderly." Today, vital women of the same age might use the word to describe women 30 years older than themselves. In the quest to remain active, women today often take on more midlife roles — and with them more stress — than did women in their mothers' generation. For example, women who delayed childbearing to build careers have children at home at an older age than women of previous generations. At the same time, more women face caring for an elderly parent as lifespans grow longer.

A Gender, Health, and Longevity study of 1,600 women in their 40s and 50s indicated that about half played at least three of four very important roles: wife, mother, worker, and care provider for an elderly parent or in-law. Juggling these routines on a daily basis is stressful. Interestingly, while women cited their domestic, nurturing roles as stressful, they did not say the same for the work roles. The researchers concluded that work may actually be beneficial to women responsible for nurturing others. And contrary to popular beliefs about the "empty nest syndrome" as a time of crisis for midlife women, newer research shows that some women feel more upbeat when their children leave home.

Last updated:	August 13, 2007