Increase in arab women's perceived power in the second half of life

An increase in perceived power in midlife was demonstrated among 60 middle-class Arab women in Israel. 20 of the women were young (age 20–40) 20 were middle aged (45–55) and 20 were older (60–80). Perceived power was studied using card 4 of the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT). The TAT stories were rated on three dimensions of perceived power: security, inner strength, and interpersonal influence. Results indicate that the young Arab women ranked lowest in security and inner strength. There was a bigger difference between the young women and the two other groups than between the middle-aged and older women. In addition, all three groups, while describing men as having more interpersonal power and security, still described women as having more inner strength.The authors wish to thank Latifa Manzur and Anat Zohar-Aizen, students at Tel-Aviv University, for their help in the data collection.