"Self-Esteem and the Aging of Women" is Dove's latest study in Portugal, which seeks to understand how Portuguese women over the age of 40 experience advancing age
Dove conducted a pioneering study on the impact of aging on the self-esteem of Portuguese women over 40. Although two out of three women have a positive self-esteem in this age group, there is clearly a drop in confidence after the age of 50, which coincides with a phase of great transformation for women: the menopause. 84% of women between 50 and 59 do not feel appreciated or valued and 1 in every 5 women over 40 has already been the victim of negative comments and/or discrimination due to age. Discrimination occurs mostly in a professional context (66% of the cases) and the criticism is mainly related to the performance of tasks and functions.
After in 2022 the brand pioneered a study on body shaming in Portugal, concluding that two out of three women are victims of negative comments on their physical appearance, this year Dove is again ahead of the curve and focuses on another issue: aging.
"For Dove, beauty has no labels or standards. And if it doesn't have sizes, it doesn't choose ages either. We feel that current society still puts a lot of pressure on women as they get older, as if there were clothes they shouldn't wear anymore, experiences they can't have or professions where they are not well seen", starts by explaining Marta Quelhas, Dove Portugal Responsible. And she adds: "In fact, 53% of the women interviewed between the ages of 50 and 59 feel forgotten or out of date, facing situations of competitiveness with younger women, whether at the level of professional, social and friendship relationships, in a constant fight to look younger".
Specifically, the age group in their fifties is the one that the Dove study identifies as the most fragile from 40 to 70+ years old. While 66% of all women surveyed have a positive self-esteem, this percentage drops to 50% among women aged 50 to 59. What's more: 84% of women at this age do not feel appreciated or valued, while 69% claim that they have no reason to be proud of themselves. It is also in middle age that women hear more derogatory criticism: one in three is the target of discrimination, mainly from friends or acquaintances (53% of the cases), related to their performance and functions (46%), their body (36%), and white hair or lack of hair (28%).
Psychologist Filipa Jardim da Silva points out: "the fear of getting sick, of losing value as a person and professional, of losing autonomy, of no longer being attractive or of being alone, are the main fears associated with aging, which when not recognized and regulated, can originate anxiety and depressed mood disorders".
Another of the main conclusions of the study "Self-Esteem and the Aging of Women" is that menopause negatively impacts women's confidence. Proof of this is that while only 38% of respondents refer to age as a concern, this percentage rises to 47% for women who are going through menopause.
In view of these findings, psychologist Filipa Jardim da Silva comments: "Some of the physical and hormonal changes inherent to menopause can affect how women feel about themselves. We must remember that this is the phase that ends the female fertile cycle, ending up marking the passage of time in a very concrete way, which often shakes a woman psychologically. Menopause also coincides with other significant changes in a woman's life, such as children leaving home or the loss of family members."
In addition, 67% of women feel that there are few support resources to deal with menopause and 54% feel that it is still a taboo topic for society. In fact, "society in general still has little understanding of the various stages of a woman's life, including menopause. This translates into the lack of adequate multidisciplinary health care, the scarcity of prevention plans, or the rigid and unempathetic way people and even some companies treat women as they get older," reinforces the specialist.
Beauty has no age limit
Dove's latest study is one of the initiatives of the "From Body Aging to Body Love" campaign, which aims to inspire women to have more "good body days" during the aging process. "We want to show that, despite all the challenges, growing old is also an opportunity for women to dedicate more time to themselves, to take care of even the small things, because we know that it's after a certain age that many women stop feeling the pressure to please everyone and naturally accept and admire themselves as they are," says Marta Quelhas.
To talk "without taboos" about aging and female self-esteem, Dove will participate in the 1st edition of the Women Aging Summit with an inspiring talk that will feature the testimony of vocalist Ana Bacalhau (44 years old) and actress Carla Andrino (56 years old). The conversation mediated by psychologist Filipa Jardim da Silva starts at 5:30 pm on March 11, and the event runs from March 10 to 12, at the Electricity Museum.
The main results of the study:
Women over 40 have generally positive self-esteem:
66% of women over 40 have positive self-esteem;
Only 38% of women report that age is a concern and 55% say that their current self-esteem is better than 10 years earlier;
Women over 70 have the highest self-esteem of all age groups, at 81%.
But the 50-59 age group emerges as the most weakened:
84% of women aged 50-59 do not feel appreciated or valued, while 69% claim that they have no reason to be proud of themselves;
In this age group, only 50% of women report having positive self-esteem and only 54% say they are satisfied with life and happiness in general;
Only 34% of women in this age group say they are close to the appearance they want to have and only 38% say they like parts of their body that they consider unique or different;
74% of women aged 50-59 have stopped taking pictures because they feel insecure about their age/appearance and 29% have felt that their age was an impediment to starting a new career or business;
This more fragile age group faces competitive situations with younger women in professional, social and friendship relationships, in a constant struggle to look younger. So much so, that 53% of women in this age group report having felt forgotten or out of date;
At the same time, 33% of women aged 50-59 have felt discriminated against and criticized because of their age. The criticism and derogatory comments come above all from friends or acquaintances (53% of the cases), and relate to their performance and functions (46%), their body (36%), and gray hair or lack of hair (28%).
In addition, menopause alters women's self-esteem and confidence:
54% of women experiencing menopause feel that their self-esteem is worse than it was 10 years ago, compared to 47% in premenopause and 37% in postmenopause;
67% of women feel there are few support resources for dealing with menopause; and 54% say they feel this is a taboo topic for society;
In fact, while only 38% of women report that age is a concern, this number rises to 47% for women who are going through menopause;
Particularly among women aged 50 to 59, menopause has a strong impact on their emotional sphere (61%) and their confidence (55%), which directly impacts these women's self-esteem: 40% have low self-esteem;
41% of women aged 50 to 59 with menopause have experienced an embarrassing episode in public due to this condition.
Taking care of health is a priority for women to age better:
The majority of women (56%) report that taking care of their health has become essential to deal more positively with their aging;
In addition to taking more care of their health, women over 40 also mention using appropriate cosmetics (29%), taking dietary supplements (28%), going to the hairdresser (24%) and exercising (22%) as solutions that help them age better;
It is the older women with children out of the home, who have more availability - in time and financially - to go to the gym, do yoga, pilates (among other similar activities), and feel that this has a positive impact on their psychological sphere.
*Survey conducted in Portugal by Memória de Base, a company specialized in market research, in January 2023, with 400 women (>40 years old).
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