Title: Innovation, resiliency and transformation: leveraging the strength of older marginalised women

Authors: Pamela R. Kennebrew

Addresses: Lincoln University, 1000 Wilde Avenue Drexel Hill, PA 19026, USA

Abstract: Despite being gainfully employed, many older marginalised women experience economic oppression. Nevertheless, women survive economic oppression through innovation, resistance and resiliency. In order to explore the survival phenomena, a critical, multidimensional research study was conducted combining critical participatory action research (CPAR) and the African-centred, Black feminist autoethnographic methodologies. Utilising Yosso's community wealth theory to analyse data, the findings suggest that older, financially vulnerable women have unique life experiences related to racialised and gendered poverty via the 'strong woman' schema and other coping behaviours. The co-researchers (participants in participatory action research are called co-researchers) discussed ways to re-claim their inner strength and collectively overcome financial vulnerability and promote financially functional aging through what the author describes as mindful strength consciousness (MSC) theory. The author hopes the MSC framework will expand the current discourse surrounding marginalised women and will provide a foundation for personal agency and societal transformation for older women as they transcend the effects of financial vulnerability.

Keywords: aging; culture; society; social justice; diversity; mindful strength consciousness; MSC; economic insecurity; gendered financial vulnerability.

DOI: 10.1504/IJHRDM.2017.085266

International Journal of Human Resources Development and Management, 2017 Vol.17 No.1/2, pp.113 - 128

Received: 15 Mar 2016
Accepted: 26 Jul 2016
Published online: 19 Jul 2017 *

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