title: Old women at the top an exploration of age stratification among Bena Bena women.
abstract: The choices and opportunities of Bena Bena women of the Eastern Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea in both a pre-contact and contemporary context were shaped by systems of both age and gender stratification. this paper explores both the past and contemporary nature of this hierarchical system and considers how various cultural patterns created differences in the lives of younger and older women. This differentiation meant that older women had greater access to valued social roles and rewards, had increased authority within their households and played crucial roles in the education and ritual transformation of younger men and women. Culture change and economic development have altered the lives and activities of Bena Bena women in various ways. The differential access of women to these new opportunities is now the basis for a new system of age stratification in which older women occupy the top rung.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anthropology, Indiana University, Cavanaugh Hall 425 University Boulevard, 46202, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dickerson-Putman