UNE's Mary Lou Ciolfi discusses ageism, sexism on Texas Public Radio

Mary Lou Ciolfi, J.D., M.S., adjunct faculty instructor of public health law and ethics at the University of New England, recently called in to Texas Public Radio to discuss ageism and sexism toward older women.

Ciolfi was a panelist on an episode of “The Source” titled “How Can We Disrupt Personal and Societal Ageism Toward ‘Wonderful Old Women?’”

The episode detailed how women face a “double whammy” of discrimination as they grow older based on their age and sex. It explored the origins of this discrimination, how ageist attitudes can impact health and well-being, and how to flip the script on society’s perception and treatment of older women.

“We internalize a lot of what our culture says about us,” Ciolfi said on the show. “We need to remind ourselves that we are worthy, and we have to heighten our expectations for how society looks at us. We need to demand that society have different views about aging, particularly about older women.”

Ciolfi was joined by Tracey Gendron, M.S., Ph.D., chair and an associate professor in the Department of Gerontology at Virginia Commonwealth University, and Bonnie Lyons, Ph.D., professor emerita of English at the University of Texas San Antonio and author of "WOW: Wonderful Old Women.”