Cecile Richards died on Monday, January 20, 2025. She was the courageous President of Planned Parenthood from 2006-2018, when the organization...
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.
Two Great Winter Reads: “My Name is Lucy Barton” and “Excellent Daughters”
Portland, Maine, my hometown, is famous for lobster dinners, craft beer and the ubiquitous appearance of LL Bean boots, but, for those who live here, it’s equally well known as a city of readers. In this spirit I’m championing two great reads to enjoy while snuggled up next to your wood stove with a cup of tea. My first pick is Elizabeth [...]
Pat Taub
Sorting Out My Religious Confusion: A Conversation with Rev. Jeanette Good
I’ve been around the bend and back on my spiritual journey. As a child I attended church with my family. It was more of a social event than a meaningful religious one. I wasn’t taught to pray nor was God mentioned in my household. When I married and had children of my own my ex-husband I and joined the Unitarian Church. It fit our agnostic [...]
Pat Taub
Mrs. Hughes of Downton Abbey: The Older Woman’s Body Shame
In the opening episode of Downton Abbey’s Season Six, middle-aged Mrs. Hughes is anxiety ridden at the prospect of being seen naked (and presumably having sex) when she marries her finance, Mr. Carson. The year is 1925 but older women’s body shame persists in 2016. It may even be worse today given the mounting cultural obsession with looking [...]
Pat Taub
A Thumbs Up for “Transparent,” a new Amazon Prime Series
My favorite part of winter in Maine is the excuse to hibernate, make soup, dig into my pile of unread books, and, best of all, binge on online shows, which is how I kicked in the New Year. After reading rave reviews of “Transparent” in The New Yorker, I decided to give it a chance. I was instantly smitten with this new Amazon Prime series [...]
Pat Taub
Book Review: Vivian Gornick, “The Odd Woman and the City” (An Older Woman’s Life Review)
This Christmas I received the new memoir by Vivian Gornick, The Odd Woman and the City. (The city in question is Manhattan.) It’s a book I’ve been eager to read, being a Gornick fan of many years. I read the young Gornick when she wrote for The Village Voice, documenting fiery protests of Second Wave Feminists. Later I read her mother-daughter [...]
Pat Taub
Spread Holiday Good Will by Doing Your Part to End Islamophobia
Every Christmas since I was a child I’ve been told that this is the season to practice good will by loving my neighbors, giving to the less fortunate, and being grateful for what I have. This year it doesn’t feel sufficient to be a “Secret Santa,” or to open my heart to heal difficult relations with family members. The almost daily [...]
Pat Taub
Remembering My Mother
On December 15, 2000, fifteen years ago today, my mother, Jane Conrad First, died. She was one month short of her 83rd birthday. I’ve had an incredible post-mother journey. When Jane left this world, I was still holding anger and resentment towards her. I didn’t show this side of myself to the outside world because, like many people, [...]
Pat Taub
What To Do When the Holiday Blues Strike
If you’re an older woman who lives alone; if your family is scattered far and wide; if you recently lost a partner or spouse; if you have limited mobility due to income or health concerns, you might dread the winter holidays, feeling like they’re a curse since they tend to magnify your isolation. To add to your holiday blues, you might [...]
Pat Taub
Don’t Peg Me as Your Run-of-the-Mill Old Lady
In 2015 older women (and men) are redefining old age, embracing it as a complex, even rich period in our lives. We rail against the prevailing stereotypes of the bent-over elderly person hobbling along with a cane or a disgruntled old bag. We are a diverse group, reflecting a wide range of older adults. While I fit the cultural stereotype [...]
Pat Taub
Practicing Gratitude in Crazy Times
With Thanksgiving approaching, if you’re like me, you’re consumed with cooking, hosting family, or traveling, making it easy to overlook that this is when we’re supposed to be thankful for our blessings. Living in such crazy times, where terrorist attacks occur with greater frequency, and where wars are off the charts and when many of [...]
Pat Taub