Noisy Older Women (NOW)

Noisy Older Women (NOW) is an art project that celebrates the voices of older women. Many older women say they feel invisible. People may speak for them, talk over them, or overlook them when they need help. These experiences are common and can make women feel unheard 

Through six workshops in June and July, 10 women have been selected to work with skilled artists to create an Embroidery Circle artwork. Each piece will reflect their experience of being heard, or not heard, as older women. The artworks will be on display at the Gallery at Melton Library & Learning Hub from October to December.

The project will provide an opportunity for a group of local elder women to support their creativity, create new friendships, and build their confidence to advocate for issues around gendered ageism.  It will also allow us to raise our community's awareness of gendered ageism, particularly amongst those aged 60+. 

Gendered Ageism

For older women, ageism and gender inequalities come together to create a heightened risk of elder abuse. As ageism increases with age, so too do the gender inequalities women face.

Research shows older women are:

• the lowest income earning family group
• the largest group of unpaid carers. 70% of carers are women and research shows that carers experience significant financial burdens (loss of income, future income potential, superannuation) and poor health and wellbeing
• the fastest growing group experiencing homelessness
• 34% more likely to live in poverty
• more likely to experience workplace discrimination
• more likely to experience elder abuse

Embroidery Circles

Below are examples of the type of embroidery circles that will be created and then exhibited as part of this project.

Stories from Noisy Older Women 

Read the stories from women involved in the NOW project.

Bev's Story

Bev at 91 is no shrinking violet, she’s a confident woman who speaks her mind, but even she knows what it’s like to be ignored and to feel the sting of being made to feel invisible.

One of these moments happened during an appointment with her eye specialist, her daughter had come along for support. “When we sat down to talk, he turned his back on me to talk to my daughter. I said “Hey, I can understand what you’re saying thank you, I can talk for myself”.

It was the last time she went to that specialist, but the experience of being ignored stays with her “People assume that when you’re a certain age that you must be ‘over it’ and you don’t know what they’re talking about”. She added “You feel like you’re passed your use-by date”.

Gendered ageism is a blight on our community, and it’s an experience that many older women know only too well.

Bev is one of ten women participating in Noisy Older Women (NOW) an art project to celebrate and raise the voices of older women in our community.