This text provides discussion of the female life cycle based on in-depth interviews with 150 diverse women at various stages in their lives, including women from visible minorities, lesbians, women with disabilities, and women living in poverty. In this text, particular attention is paid to issues of: baby boomers; the women's movement; work and economic security; caregiving; health and well-being; family and intimacy; and structure, culture, and agency. All the chapters underline the need for a new perspective that incorporates the historical and generational shifts in women's lives and their experience of aging.