Sharing Stories From Decades Ago, Older Women Find Their Place in #MeToo

The growing national dialogue about misogyny, sexual harassment, and assault prompted five older women in Southeast Washington, D.C., to recall their own past experiences in this vein, which indicate generational and cultural divergences from preconceived generalizations, reports the Washington Post . "Women in the old days, in the really old days, they didn't trust each other," says Mary Procter, 76. "One of the things that didn't use to happen is women sharing with each other. And now, they are." Disagreement between older and younger generations of women on what constitutes sexual harassment and the like, and whether women many be partly culpable, has complicated matters. However, author Ashton Applewhite, 65, says framing the debate as an age-driven disagreement is problematic in itself. "I'm super-resistant to the idea of framing this as, 'Yet again older feminists argue with younger feminists,'" she notes. "We are never going to learn from each other as long as we are in our age silos." Deborah Felton with the Fuller Village senior-living community in Massachusetts organized a presentation about sexual harassment for residents. She believes it is often more difficult for older people to feel confident speaking out about harassment or assault, but the #MeToo movement is emboldening them. Applewhite also says it is erroneous to assume older people are incapable of evolving. "To participate in the important issues of our day, it's incumbent on older people to stay current and learn what's out there," she contends. "You don't have to agree with it, but if you want to be part of it, you need to be an informed and helpful contributor and watch and listen to the winds of change, and feel empathy for what different people are going through."