“Being a woman in her sixties means inhabiting a paradox. I have never been more visible to myself and yet often feel invisible to the world. There is freedom in this invisibility, a release from expectations that confined earlier decades. I care less about appearances and more about authenticity. I speak more directly, love more openly, and choose more carefully how I spend my days.” Professor Barbara Bernier

“It’s true that we rarely see ourselves the way others see us. We often have visions of ourselves that rarely align with the perspectives of others. We see ourselves one way, but other people’s perspectives are different. It’s part of what makes us human—the constant discovery of self. If you’ve ever walked past a mirror, caught sight of yourself, and thought, “Wait, that’s me?” you will understand this statement.

We have versions of ourselves over the decades, iterations of ourselves in our thirties, forties, and fifties, but these versions are unsustainable over the decades, and may have, by the time we’re in our sixties, reached an expiration date. Whatever idea of self we have configured by the time we reach our sixties, we must introduce ourselves to yet another version.” Author

“All my life, I’ve admired strong, and sometimes defiant, women. The kind of women who choose to live life on their own terms, even if those terms make them seem like outsiders to everyone else. Now, in my sixties, with my children settled in their own lives, it is my chance to be one of those women, unfettered by my own ideas of self—and other people’s ideas of me, of who I should be. I can be that woman who does what she says and says what she thinks (and that includes the word ‘no’ ), an independent thinking and acting woman.” Trina

“One of the many themes that women write about in relation to this decade are the practical shifts that take place. Freed from the daily chores of caring, whether that is raising children or looking after family members, for many women, their sixties may be the first time they do not have someone who relies upon them. As liberating as this might sound, it is also frightening. We may have defined ourselves as caretakers of many people and things in life, and when those responsibilities disappear, who are we now?

Other women have discussed something that reads almost like rejuvenation as they set out to explore new ventures. With their accumulated knowledge, they embark on projects that were unimaginable in previous decades, discovering a completely new way to live their lives. One of the many benefits—and there are many—of being in your sixties is that you care less about what other people think. The clock is ticking, and women have rationalized that if society doesn’t want our experiences and our skills, we’re free to reapply these attributes as, when, and where we choose.” Author