GUEST POST by MICHAEL STEINMAN Imagine you’ve had a visible medical scare: a dermatologist has carved a chunk out of your forehead,...
Pat Taub is a family therapist, writer and activist and life-long feminist. She hopes that WOW will start a conversation among other older women who are fed up with the ageism and sexism in our culture and are looking for cohorts to affirm their value as an older woman.
A Riveting Documentary, Barbara Lee, A Recommended Book and TV Series
A Riveting Documentary To mark June as Pride month, take time to watch the riveting documentary “My Name is Pauli Murray” on Amazon Prime. Murray (1910-1985) was a legal trailblazer whose ideas influenced RBG’s fight for gender equality and Thurgood Marshall’s civil rights arguments. She was a non-binary Black lawyer, activist, poet, [...]
Pat Taub
My Father: The Tyrant
I grew up in the 1950’s when gender roles were strictly defined. My mother, like most women of the era, stayed at home, focusing on creating the perfect home and perfect children. My father, like Don Draper in “Mad Men,” spent long hours at the office, mainly seeing his kids at the dinner table and on weekends, when he wasn’t catching [...]
Pat Taub
My Family Drama
Ram Dass: “If you think you’re enlightened, go spend a week with your family.” This quote came back to haunt me after spending Memorial Day weekend with my family. As my plane descended into Chicago’s O’Hare airport, I was filled with anticipation for my granddaughter’s high school graduation and for our first family reunion after [...]
Pat Taub
Granddaughter Jane, Mass Shootings, A Labyrinth, & A Great Read
Granddaughter, Jane Last weekend I flew to Chicago to attend my granddaughter, Jane’s high school reunion in Oak Park, a suburb of Chicago. My youngest son flew in from LA to join us. We hadn’t all been together since Covid descended on the country. The graduation ceremony was held in the school’s football field with family and friends [...]
Pat Taub
Running Toward Seventy
GUEST POST by JANET WEIL I ran track and cross country in high school. With Nikes bought from the back of a salesman’s car laced onto my feet, I dashed and panted across the finish line. After a long run, group showers were a delight – the rush of warm water down my legs, the gossip and giggles of my teammates, the pleasant lethargy [...]
Pat Taub
The Path to Becoming a Happy Older Woman
Given all the ageism and sexism smacking older women in the face aging can be a dismal state for many women. Mary Pipher to the rescue! In her book, Women Rowing North, Pipher makes the case for a happy old age: “Happiness depends on how we deal with what we are given.” Piper interviews older women from all walks of life who have triumphed [...]
Pat Taub
Abortion Rights, Buffalo Shootings, A Treasured Novel & More!
Abortion Rights Thanks to a leaked report, it’s now almost certain that the Supreme Court will reverse Roe v. Wade this June. Abortion advocates have been demonstrating across the country, but is this enough? In a recent interview with Chris Hedges, V, formerly known as Eve Ensler, the playwright, author, and political activist, called [...]
Pat Taub
Women Who Restore My Faith in Humanity
Last Friday I attended a memorial service for 96-year-old Joanne Booth, who never failed to brighten my day when we met up. Joanne’s infectious, slightly mischievous smile, was contagious, as was her love of life. As I listened to her four daughters deliver their warm, loving accounts of their mother’s full life, my mind wandered to [...]
Pat Taub
Ageism is Real!
Ageism, defined as discrimination against the older adult, is very real in the lives of many, if not most, American women. The older woman loses her currency for no other reason than she looks her age. At work, her suggestions are frequently rejected; socially she is shunned because she no longer looks young; her adult children consider her [...]
Pat Taub
Honoring Our Spiritual Mothers on Mother’s Day
I propose that we enlarge Mother’s Day so that we honor not just our biological mothers but also our spiritual mothers. These are the teachers, neighbors, aunts, family friends and others whose influence made an indelible impression on us. Frequently these women didn’t have their own children, but lovingly nurtured and guided the children [...]
Pat Taub