Challenging Invisibility

the long version

"Although women older than 65 are a large subgroup of the average congregation, they are noticeably absent in the literature and training in pastoral care and counseling. Women outnumber same-aged men in the general United States population by more than 40 percent, but are underrepresented in genealogical studies and disappear from the media, which depicts few positive images of older women in television, movies, and advertisements." "And churches are no better. In an in-depth study of women over the age of 65, Karen Scheib asked women how they feel they are perceived in their congregations. Their answer: "invisible."" "Understanding how and why older women become "invisible" both in church and in society requires a perspective that moves beyond the individual experiences of aging to an analysis of the social forces that shape the experience of aging in America." "Scheib draws on her extensive research; insights of gerontology, sociology, psychology, and anthropology; and her experience as a practical pastoral theologian to develop a new approach to pastoral care with older women, a pastoral approach to aging that takes into account the social context, as well as individual analysis, and theological reflection. She proposes a model of care and a set of practices that challenge women's invisibility and assist congregations in being good places to grow old."--BOOK JACKET.