MIDLIFE DEVELOPMENT AND MENOPAUSE IN AFRICAN AMERICAN AND CAUCASIAN WOMEN

Abstract

Little is known about factors that enhance midlife women's well-being and even less about whether these factors differ for African Americans and Caucasians. We conducted focus groups with 30 women, grouped by ethnicity and menopausal status. Women identified midlife as a time of opportunity for self-development. Pre/perimenopausal women expressed more fears about severe emotional changes than did their postmenopausal counterparts. These fears were in sharp contrast to the women's descriptions of enhanced self-esteem. Caucasian women were primarily concerned about menopause as a harbinger of physical aging and the ensuing disadvantage of divergence from society's ideal of a youthful appearance, while African American women viewed menopause as a normal, even welcome, part of life. A language of emancipation and awareness of gender bias were prominent in the women's stories regardless of menopausal status or race. Further study should assess the role that feminist insights may play in the well-being of midlife women.