Who We Are
We take pride in having advanced to this age. We are women over fifty years old. Senior, in this case, means we have graduated from one life stage to another. Our interests are varied, our tastes eclectic, our need for information unending.
We don't deny it; We want to make the most of it; We want to share this age with you.
The site is meant for women over 50, but we've had communications with women as young as 36 and those well into their eighth decade who find this site a home and, simultaneously, a departure location.
We've fashioned this site in an attempt to reflect women's issues and concerns. We also hope it reflects those two most compelling relationships, that of community and connectivity.
We have been introducing authors, articles and columns that we hope will engage and stimulate. Taking the title Senior Women Web and the URL Seniorwomen.com for this site is a mark of pride and celebration. Many women over fifty have found new challenges and problems in a society somewhat uncomfortable with its aging population.
Senior Women Web enjoys the contributions of women who bring original content to this site. We have a monthly Culture Watch feature with reviewers Julia Sneden and our charter reviewer and colleague, Emily Mitchell. Reviewers Joan L. Cannon, Jill Norgren, Nicola Gutgold and John Malone are now aboard. Art reviewer Val Castronovo has taken us to art shows through her writing that we cannot reach but yearn to see. We think you will enjoy the reviews of books that will appeal particularly to women (and men) of our age.
Our Resident Observer, Julia Sneden, a transplanted Californian these past three decades, living and working in North Carolina, has been producing columns for this site faster than we can put them up. Please consult the authors page for a list of contributors whose humor, experience and expertise enrich this site.
Feminist author and political scientist Jo Freeman regularly contributes articles on political trends, personalities, meetings and conventions.
Irish Expatriot Jane Shortall entertains with tales from her newly adopted French village; Nicola Slade from England and Patricia Beurteaux from Canada. Dermatologist Cynthia Bailey is contributing quarterly articles on skin care. Linda Coyner has won two Garden Writer's Association Garden Globe Awards for her SeniorWomen.com column, Garden Edition. Margaret Cullison has been writing a series called My Mother's Cookbook and Sharon Kapnick, a sommelier and award winning wine author, is delighting and instructing us in the art of choosing wines. Gabriella True has contributed a column on food for the site, Culinary Discovery. Joan James Rapp has traveled to Africa on safari and, most recently, to China. Roberta McReynolds continues to delight on many subjects, including her topic of experimenting with programs, crafts and belly-dancing.
Besides these contributors, the site is responsible for connecting to current studies, interviews, excerpts and other news items of interest as well as Money and Computing items. We strive to bring you a window into the eclectic mix the Web provides. Shopping, as you can see by the Pew Online Generations report, is an online interest of older women, and our Shopping Pages, whether they be for the home, children, garden or gifts (among others), are among our most popular pages.
I have retired from my position as a Senior Reporter for Time Magazine (after a twenty-five year career), in part because this website became increasingly important. We expect a lengthy tenure with Senior Women Web and with those who enjoy and support it.
The Generations Online in 2009 Pew Report about Internet usage states that: "The biggest increase in Internet use since 2005 can be seen in the 70-75 year-old age group. While just over one-fourth (26%) of 70-75 year olds were online in 2005, 45% of that age group is currently online. Much as we watch demographic and age groups move up in “degrees of access” on our “thermometers,” we can probably expect to see these bars become more level as time goes on."
"Older generations use the internet as a tool for research, shopping and banking. Compared with teens and Generation Y, older generations use the internet less for socializing and entertainment and more as a tool for information searches, emailing, and buying products. In particular, older internet users are significantly more likely than younger generations to look online for health information. Health questions drive internet users age 73 and older to the internet just as frequently as they drive Generation Y users, outpacing teens by a significant margin. Researching health information is the third most popular online activity with the most senior age group, after email and online search."
The Nielsen Wire stated under the headline, Six Million More Seniors Using the Web than Five Years Ago: "While people 65 and older still make up less than 10 percent of the active Internet universe, their numbers are on the rise. In the last five years, the number of seniors actively using the Internet has increased by more than 55 percent, from 11.3 million active users in November 2004 to 17.5 million in November 2009. Among people 65 +, the growth of women in the last five years has outpaced the growth of men by 6 percentage points. [Editor's note: Ital and bold ours]"Not only are more people 65 and older heading online, but they are also spending more time on the Web. Time spent on the Internet by seniors increased 11 percent in the last five years, from approximately 52 hours per month in November 2004 to just over 58 hours in 2009."
“The over 65 crowd represents about 13% of the total population and with this increase in online usage, they are beginning to catch up with their offline numbers,” notes Chuck Schilling, research director, agency & media, Nielsen’s online division. “Looking at what they’re doing online, it makes sense they’re engaged in many of the same activities that dominate other age segments – e-mail, sharing photos, social networking, checking out the latest news and weather – and it’s worth noting that a good percentage of them are spending time with age-appropriate pursuits such as leisure travel, personal health care and financial concerns.”
SeniorWomenWeb hopes to continue adding readers who care for our purpose and content. We have revised our design to make navigation more visible, content easier to email and have provided gradations in varying font sizes.
If you are interested in advertising on SeniorWomenWeb, please read the Sponsors page or call 510-524-1510.
Tam Gray, Founder and CEO
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We don't participate in link exchanges with other sites as a matter of course. We do add links as we feel them appropriate or of interest to our audience.
