Double jeopardy: Older women face 'gendered ageism' — and the pandemic underlined it

“Everyone started this pandemic saying COVID doesn’t discriminate. It absolutely does. And it preys on every societal vulnerability we have — biological and social in particular,” said geriatrician Dr. Samir Sinha, the co-chair of the National Institute on Ageing at Ryerson University.

“Older women are much more likely to be living in poverty — and women outlive men. We know the greatest at-risk older population are older single women as they are disproportionately poorer. And those who are racialized are hit the hardest.”