The feminization of population aging in Chile, particularly in the Valparaíso region with the highest aging index (INE, 2024), underscores the need to understand older women’s contributions to social leadership (Brito & Mansilla, 2022). Drawing on critical feminist gerontology, this ongoing qualitative study examines how older women exercise leadership within social organizations, emphasizing the role of life trajectories in shaping empowerment and agency (Freixas et al., 2012; Hooyman, 2002). Using purposive sampling, semi-structured interviews are being conducted. A life course perspective is guiding the analysis of participants’ narratives, revealing that their leadership is rooted in experiences of overcoming poverty, structural sexism, and migration. Leadership among older women is not accidental, but the product of accumulated resilience and social capital, transforming past vulnerability into community advocacy and social rights defense. Women leaders emphasize family solidarity, respect for older women’s experiences, mentorship of younger generations, and mutual support as central to their practices. The study highlights how the transition from private, domestic life to public, community leadership allows older women to apply caregiving and organizational skills in political and social spheres. Their leadership confronts intersecting barriers of ageism, sexism, and other structural inequalities, illustrating strategies of resistance and collective empowerment. Preliminary findings suggest that promoting the leadership of older women enhances social cohesion, reduces isolation, and informs public policy and lifespan health promotion, contributing to resilient and inclusive communities.

Authors:
Christine Bailey Catalán, Universidad de Playa Ancha, Chile
Yanina Gutiérrez Valdés, Universidad de Playa Ancha, Chile

About the Presenter(s)
Dr Bailey-Catalán is a full time academic at the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Playa Ancha and is currently leading a government funded (ANID Chile) project on critical social gerontology with gender and territorial perspectives.

Connect on Linkedin
https://www.linkedin.com/in/christine-bailey-4797873b

See this presentation on the full schedule – Sunday Schedule

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