Gail Collins Traces the History of Attitudes Toward Older Women

In the youth-obsessed 1920s, women over the age of 19 were considered past their prime — but in colonial days when there was a shortage of women, even 50-year-old widows were sought after. In her new book, “No Stopping Us Now,” New York Times columnist Gail Collins traces the pendulum-swinging history of attitudes toward older women. Forum talks with Collins about why views of older women haven’t seen steady progress in history, but also how older women have been teaching themselves “to get old in the best way possible.”