Monday, January 21, 2008

Women and Aging and Politics

I have begun to volunteer at a local community radio station [KBOO] and will be involved in the programming for International Woman's Day on March 8th. Although first observed in the United States, it has become pretty unknown here...You can read about the day here: http://www.internationalwomensday.com/default.asp.

At the brainstorming meeting we all put in thoughts as to the day of programming and how it might proceed. Many topics had to do with the fact that women are most often the caretakers of children, family, aging parents, pets, etc. But when women age, they are relegated to nursing homes where they are attended to by underpaid women in under staffed facilities and basically forgotten.

Back in October I was on a program at the station discussing Women and Power. I won't repeat my comment her as it was an hour long show. But my basic premise is/was that women have power which is why men have trouble allowing women to express that power and feel a need to suppress ALL women.

In the USA we have fewer women in government that most other nations. And from my point of view the women in power feel they have to act like men in order to retain their power. So they do not help in the ways that women are best at and that affects the aging of women in our society.

This discussion on Women and Power will continue on January 25 - this coming Friday at 6 PM PST [on KBOO]. You can listen via radio if in Oregon or online anywhere in the world by going to http://www.kboo.org and clicking listen live at the top of the page.

I will talk about our current election scenario as we have a woman running for president and she is subjected to all manner of nasty comments, the death of Bhutto, aging and lack of power - and as listeners call in, other topics will be generated.

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