When I was a junior reporter, I used to be terrified of some of the older women journalists. I desperately wanted to be like them – clever, successful, confident women who were sure of themselves and their abilities. They had no problem with tackling their bosses head-on if they felt they had a cause worth fighting for. They weren’t frivolous in any way – well, certainly not on the job.
It was an age where journalism could, and did, make a difference. As a young apprentice, I was desperate to please. I assumed, and I was probably correct in my assumption, that people knew more than I did so I would never argue with my producers, even if I felt they were wrong. Nothing was too much trouble – working overtime, filling in for somebody else, laughing at my boss’ lame jokes.
Now, however, I am middle aged. But not old enough to be included in Paul Little’s latest compilation of essays from older New Zealanders.
And like the women who have contributed to this book, I now speak my mind. Stroppy seems more admirable to be than “nice”. The success of Paul’s first collection, Grumpy Old Men, spawned the female version, Stroppy Old Women, where 54 Kiwi women talk about what’s wrong with the world.
They’re women who know what it is to fight prejudice and sexual discrimination, and to break into professions that their successors today see as their right. They’re women who rail against the physical decline that is the flip side to the wisdom that comes with getting old. It’s a mixed bag and you’ll relate more to some than others. But that’s not a criticism. These wonderful Kiwi women will open your eyes, make you think and provide ample evidence that there is absolutely nothing wrong with being old and stroppy.
