Reframing what it means to grow older as a woman in Europe.

Context

Europe is ageing — and ageing is feminised. Women live longer than men on average, but they enter older age with fewer pension entitlements, more years of unpaid care work behind them, and a heavier exposure to social isolation. Layered on top is a quiet form of discrimination that the partnership calls gender ageism: the intersection of being older and being a woman, which removes visibility, voice and learning opportunities at the same time.

WINGS+ treats this as a design problem for adult education. If our learning systems do not see women 65+, they cannot serve them. So the partnership starts by mapping what already works across five countries, then co-creates a methodological kit, tests it in the field with real learner groups, and consolidates the findings into open guidelines for adult-education providers across Europe.

Objectives

• Map the state of the art on gender ageism in adult learning across 5 EU countries.
• Co-create a gender-sensitive, age-aware methodological kit with and for women 65+.
• Field-test the kit with real learner groups in each partner country.
• Translate findings into open guidelines for European adult-education providers.
• Embed gender-ageism awareness in each partner organisation's long-term offer.

Target groups

• Women aged 65 and over, including those in rural or under-served areas.
• Adult educators, trainers and community workers in lifelong-learning settings.
• Local authorities, third-age universities and senior community centres.
• EU-level stakeholders and policy networks working on ageing and gender equality.

Expected impact

By the end of the project we expect to have validated a transferable methodology with at least 100 women learners aged 65+, reached 500+ adult-education professionals through multiplier events and EPALE, and seeded long-term gender-ageism awareness in each partner organisation's offer.