Self-Assessment and Change in One's Profession: Notes on the Phenomenology of Aging Among Mid-Life Women

Using data from a pilot study of mid-life, mid-career women in nursing, this research note suggests further exploration of women's work roles in understanding subjective assessments of self and aging. The analysis shows that among the nurses studied, dynamics of occupational or professional change were related to views of self in the future. These issues of change rather than age graded norms for achievement were paramount in the nurses' self assessment.