Abstract
This paper explores the representation of older working women in three American period dramas, Mad Men (AMC, 2007-2015), Good Girls Revolt (Amazon Prime, 2013) and Masters of Sex (Showtime, 2013-2016) to examine how aging, gender, and labor intersect in mid-20th-century cultural narratives. These series depict older female characters occupying marginal, often invisible roles in professional settings, reflecting broader societal ambivalences toward aging women in the workforce. Drawing on historical and sociological frameworks and contemporary research on ageism and gender, the paper analyzes key characters such as Miss Blankenship in Mad Men, Fran in Good Girls Revolt), and Miss Horchow and an unnamed employee in Masters of Sex. The paper argues that each character embodies cultural anxieties about aging, productivity, and female identity, often serving as comic relief, cautionary figures, or reactionary obstacles to younger, ambitious women. By examining their limited visibility, stereotyped portrayals, and narrative functions, this study highlights the social and cultural mechanisms that marginalize older women, by exploring how media representations shape public perceptions of aging. The paper further explores how these portrayals reflect and shape evolving family structures, workplace dynamics, and the cultural negotiation of aging during periods of significant social change. It argues that aging working women are often positioned as foils to the younger generation of career girls, in ways that highlight historical shifts in women’s professional roles in the postwar period, but also amplify aging women’s invisibility in the workplace and overlook their contributions and legacy.
Presenters
Imen YaakoubiAdjunct Associate Professor, English, University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne, Marne, France
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Social and Cultural Perspectives on Aging
KEYWORDS
Aging, Women, Postwar America, Television Studies
