Because of ongoing demographic shifts, older women (60 and over) are gradually becoming a numerical majority in America. Despite this trend, research across disciplines, as well as studies by educational planners and public policymakers, has ignored the implications of this phenomenon. Patriarchal bias and ageism have contributed to the structural invisibility of America's older women. Recent developmental research, however, has documented the continuation of inner resources for learning across the life span. Such an expanded view of developmental potential contradicts the philosophical and cultural bias reflected in the traditional linear view of development (e.g., education, career, retirement) in favor of the cyclical life plan. Feminist critique suggests the need for an integration of the reproductive processes of learning in educational institutions with the learning associated with preparing persons to contribute to the productive processes of society. Such an integration, in which women's experienc...