Intersecting Identities: Old Age and Gender in Local Party Politics

This article discusses older women's participation in local political parties in the London area. Its analytical framework draws on intersectionality as a perspective together with feminist political science and political gerontology. Empirically, it refers to research in seven parliamentary constituencies, based primarily on semi-structured interviews, focusing on roles, activities and contribution; underlying motivation; and experiences of marginalisation or exclusion. A complex picture emerges with effects of gender and age-mediated, especially by political party and location. Experiences are found to differ in different stages of old age, but there is no simple pattern of cumulative disadvantage for older women.