Would you care to make any generalizations about how older women think differently from everyone else?

Define older women. Older than whom? Why would the vague categorization of “older women” generate more reliable data than, say, men in their early thirties/

I am a woman older than a lot of people. Are my opinions like those of millions of other women my age? Are they different from everyone else’s? How can I possibly codify this?

I too am a woman older than a lot of people, and younger than quite a few other people. And I share some of @gailcalled‘s opinions, but not all of them.

This much I’d be willing to say as a generality (allowing for exceptions as needed): older women think different thoughts from those they had when younger. (I’ll bet the same goes for men.) I think it would be rash to say they think in a different way (i.e., differently). I think my present way of thinking is more consistent with my earlier ways of thinking than otherwise. But I do think about some very different things.

The mother of a friend of mine died last week at 105. How would we categorize her?

Her daughter describes her thusly:

”...she celebrated her 105th birthday with her quilting group, the ladies in red hats, the staff and family….creator of the in house newsletter and the lending library at her two assisted living homes in Fort Worth and Weatherford, Texas. Even her last few years in a wheel chair did not confine her because she had her computer internet to bring in the world. I sent her packages of the Tuesday NYTimes Science sections, drawings, and on special occasions, the huge colorful costume jewelry necklaces and earrings she loved.

She was critical, but curious and interested in so many things…”

As I get older, I am less and less nervous of the girls my own age and younger, and more and more afraid of the women who are older than me.

^^^”
You can be nervous about a new job or making a speech, but being “less and less nervous of the girls my own age”? What do you mean?

@gailcalled intimidated by was my intended meaning.

I can’t think of any valid generalizations about how older women think differently from everyone else, but one question some older women might have that most other people don’t is, “Will my medicare pay for my breast implants?”. ;-)

Well…I’ll be 53 in a few weeks and have changed my thoughts and beliefs tremendously in many areas over the years. I choose to be single after being married forever. Romantic relationships hold no interest for me at all. I LOVE being free and single.

I have zero desire to compromise on much of anything with anyone. I have attained a great sense of inner peace, don’t take much of anything “seriously” anymore and am very confident in who I am. Maturity is a great place to be. Gone are all my youthful neuroses and insecurities and I have never been happier than I have been in my 40’s & 50’s.

It’s a great time of life and it’s true, youth is wasted on the young. lol

@Coloma:Do you find yourself repeating yourself?

I can only speak for myself— as I get older, I am less aware of what people think of me. I walk around my college campus, all 40 years of me, and don’t notice what the 19 year olds are thinking about my outfit, shoes, bag, whatever, and I couldn’t care less. If I look good to myself in the mirror, that’s what counts to me now.

I sit often on the grass at the quad and see so many kids clearly worrying about what others think. A lot of preening, clothes tugging, posing, quick hair-do repairs, walking in clone-ish groups, etc—most everyone seems to think everyone else is looking at them when, in actuality, everyone’s too worried about themselves to see that nobody’s really paying attention to them.

I’d love to have the body of a 19 year old, but they can have the insecurities. Bleh!

They’re better in the sack.

Edit: I misread the question. I can’t read minds so this question is invalid lol.

@gailcalled Occasionally mid-life dementia kicks in. :-)

I really can’t think of anything.

I think differently than just about everybody else in the world, well that is not true. Let me put it this way, my thought processes align with many different ages, sex, or whatever demographic you choose, depending on the subject at hand. I argue with wood carvers about whether power carving is pure carving. I don’t know how most older women feel about that. When it is about dogs, I will argue with anyone who thinks mutts are inherently a better choice than a pure bred dog. Again I don’t know if older women share that thought. When I run, play tennis, squash, any sport, I go hard and competitively, I am not fond of social games, I play to win always.

I don’t like your question, it seems to me that it subtly implies that older women think in a way that is not quite in tune. I looked at your profile and it gives no hint as to your age or gender. Why do you ask this question and it would be interesting if you would answer it yourself so that I can get a handle on where you are coming from..

Ooh, young man!

I wouldn’t dare.

I find that as I get older, my perception of “old” gets older.

One might say older women are more outspoken, but then again, perhaps not.