‘It’s the not being seen that is most tiresome’ : Older women, invisibility and social (in)justice

Older women experience intersectional discrimination at the nexus of ageism and sexism. This is embodied, women’s ageing bodies being culturally devalued within youth-privileging cultures and the hyper-sexualisation of younger, able-bodied, women. Older women often face the dilemma of attempting to mask the signs of ageing or ageing “authentically” but encountering heightened stigma, prejudice and discrimination. Very old women in the fourth age who “fail” to age “successfully” are subject to extreme social exclusion. Many older women speak of experiencing a loss of visibility as they age, however how this occurs, and what it means, has not yet been analysed in depth. This is an important issue, as recognition - cultural status and visibility - is essential for social justice. This article reports on findings taken from a UK survey on experiences of ageism and sexism completed by 158 heterosexual, lesbian and bisexual women aged 50 to 89. Their perceived invisibility took five forms: a) being under-seen/mis-seen in the media; b) being mis-seen as objects of sexual undesirability; c) being “ignored” in consumer, social and public spaces; d) being “grandmotherised”, i.e., seen only through the lens of (often incorrectly) presumed grandmotherhood; e) being patronised and erroneously assumed to be incompetent. The findings are considered in relation to Fraser’s social justice model. The argument presented is that older women’s experiences of non-recognition and mis-recognition are profound sources of social injustice. Both increased visibility and cultural worth are needed for older women to enjoy the benefits of social justice in later life

Can religious social workers practice affirmatively with LGBTQ service recipients? An exploration within the regulatory context

Tensions between religious freedoms and lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer (LGBTQ) rights have evolved from debates about sinful deviance to competing equality claims. There is a growing debate, originally in the US, but emerging in the UK, about whether religious social workers, particularly those holding fundamentalist Christian beliefs, can deliver affirmative, anti-oppressive services to LGBTQ people. This is important because over two-fifths of social workers identify as Christian and almost a quarter of UK charities, including those running community and residential care services for older people, are religious organisations. These concerns have been highlighted in a recent judicial review involving a social work student, Felix Ngole, who was expelled by the University of Sheffield for making homophobic comments on his Facebook page. The Court of Appeal ruled the University’s decision was procedurally flawed and had conflated religious prejudice with discrimination. This paper considers 70 online responses to a Community Care article written by Ngole, which highlight divided opinions within the social work profession. It critically interrogates, within regulatory contexts, whether it is possible to be both deeply opposed to LGBTQ people’s lives and yet work affirmatively and anti-oppressively with them. An urgent research agenda is proposed

Discussion document: a) Gender bias in student teaching feedback on teaching colleagues and how to mitigate this; b) Unconscious bias (UB) training

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“People with faith-based objections might display homophobic behaviour or transphobic behaviour” : Older LGBTQ people’s fears about religious organisations and staff providing long-term care

Older lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer (LGBTQ) people are concerned that their needs will not be recognised, understood or met in older age care spaces. Some are especially worried about care provided by religious care organisations and/or staff with negative beliefs about LGBTQ people and their lives. While these issues have been raised at the margins of previous research, there has not, until now, been a study which has focussed upon them. This article reports on a recent UK preliminary scoping consultation research project, which explored older LGBTQ people’s views about possible care from religious organisations and/or carers. The findings highlight four key fears about: 1) inferior care quality; 2) a lack of affirmative, anti-oppressive care; 3) religious-based prejudice and discrimination; 4) religious conversion attempts. Each theme is considered in relation to social justice, i.e., equality of resources, recognition, representation, and relationality. The need for open dialogue and debate is highlighted and a research agenda is proposed. There is an urgent need to understand what happens in the delivery of care to LGBTQ people by religious care organisations and/or staff, place the concerns identified here in their proper context and determine the appropriate responses

A bloody mess? UK regulation of menopause discrimination and the need for reform

This article considers the regulation of menopause-related discrimination in the workplace. Many menopausal women experience profound workplace inequalities, often connected with the intersection of ageism and sexism. The UK Parliament’s Women and Equality Committee’s (WEC) recently recommended that the government consults about a new protected characteristic, ‘menopause’, and that s14 of the Equality Act 2010 (dual discrimination) be brought into force. The Government has rejected these recommendations asserting that menopausal women are sufficiently protected under the Act’s existing provision. This article presents an alternative perspective, arguing that there is insufficient legal protection from menopause discrimination, with it fitting poorly within age, sex and/or disability discrimination, and there being no facility for intersectional claims. The WEC is correct: s14 should be implemented, there should be a menopause protected characteristic and, beyond that, the Act needs wider reform to provide greater protections from discrimination, beyond inflexible identity categories which fail to allow for complex intersecting structural oppressions

Unheard voices: A qualitative study of LGBT+ older people experiences during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK.

This paper reports findings from a qualitative study into the immediate impact of social distancing measures on the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT+) older people (≥60 years) living in the UK during the first lockdown of the COVID-19 pandemic. It draws on in-depth interviews with 17 older people and 6 key informants from LGBT+ community-based organisations, exploring the strategies used to manage their situations, how they responded and adapted to key challenges. Five themes emerged related to: (1) risk factors for LGBT+ older people and organisations, including specific findings on trans experiences; (2) care practices in LGBT+ lives; (3) strengths and benefits of networking (4) politicisation of ageing issues and their relevance to LGBT+ communities and (5) learning from communication and provision in a virtual world. The findings illuminate adaptability and many strengths in relation to affective equality and reciprocal love, care and support among LGBT+ older people. It is vital UK that the government recognises and addresses the needs and concerns of LGBT+ older people during emergencies

Older LGBTQ people and religious abuse : implications for the UK regulation of care provision in later life

Research suggests health, social care, and social work professionals who are highly religious, and adhere closely to traditional doctrine, are more likely to take a negative view of LGBTQ people. This includes those who provide services to older people. Negative attitudes towards lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and/or queer (LGBTQ) people can translate into poor care and even abuse. This commentary discusses recent literature on older LGBTQ people’s experiences of religious abuse. It highlights the concerns among many older LGBTQ people about care from religious based providers where religion becomes a factor leading to abuse, associated with microaggressions, psychological abuse, harassment, discriminatory abuse, neglect, and poor care. Even though only a minority of religious care providers may hold negative attitudes towards LGBTQ people, and even fewer may allow this to inform poor/abusive practice, this is nonetheless an area of concern and merits further investigation. All care providers, including those with strongly held religious beliefs, should deliver equally good, affirmative, non-abusive care to older LGBTQ people, and to LGBTQ people of all ages

Navigating LGBT+ ageing inequalities during challenging times : a case study of UK LGBT+ community organisations

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on older people's lives on a global scale but for some marginalised communities have seen a marked exacerbation of health and other inequalities. Research has highlighted the impact of the pandemic on lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT+) people's lives, but less has been documented about the experiences of LGBT+ older communities and how their specific needs have been mediated. Community-based advocacy organisations are central to promoting LGBT+ human rights in the UK through its social movements, and this paper explores their role and significance during a distinct period of the UK mandatory isolation. Drawing on a case study approach based on qualitative interviews with six key LGBT+ community organisations in the UK, we captured their insights into how they navigated support for older people when faced with limited resources and the challenges posed by mandatory physical and social distancing. We position these events in current discourse about structural and health inequalities for LGBT+ ageing in the UK