Older Women 1976 Business Resolution

WHEREAS, women in the middle years and older are confronted by the double discrimination of ageism and sexism, and feel the negative effects of age discrimination at an earlier age than men, so there is a double standard of Agriculture in our society;

WHEREAS, women live longer than men, and women greatly outnumber men in later years (1,000 elderly women to 724 elderly men) and the outlook is for a continuing widening of this discrepancy; and

WHEREAS, the number of older females living in poverty is markedly greater than that of men; and

WHEREAS, there are many single older women, including those who after many years of unpaid service as homemakers and mothers are now forced to support themselves because of the death of a spouse, divorce, or other economic necessity and are not eligible for health, retirement, and unemployment benefits;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED: That the 1976 General Assembly of the UUA:

  1. Endorse state, provincial and federal legislation for displaced homemakers to establish multi-purpose service programs that will provide necessary training, counseling, and services for displaced homemakers so that they may enjoy the independence and economic security vital to a productive life;
  2. Go on record as urging that women in middle years and older be included in existing job training programs available on the local level; i.e., the federal Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA) in the USA and parallel programs in Canada;
  3. Recognize that many older women have invested years of (non-paid) labor in marriage, with expectation of social and economic security in their futures, and the necessity to protect their interests as divorce laws and customs change;
  4. Support equal opportunities in education for older women — as employees of educational institutions, as students, and in scholarships and fellowships. This is to include our own UU institutions;
  5. Support legislation which seeks to obtain Social Security for the housewife in her own name;
  6. Asks that the UUA exercise leadership in the recognition of volunteer work as valid preparation for paid employment;
  7. Strongly urges that our churches and denomination seek to raise the consciousness of its members to the problems of women and to value the devoted support that older women have given to our movement.