How do we tackle the enduring prejudice against the very idea of old age, resulting in the habitual marginalisation and disparagement of the elderly by people of all ages, including old people themselves? It remains a challenge, especially knowing that women have always been aged by culture, and frequently discarded in their public and personal lives, far faster than men. However, in this wide-ranging collection the diverse authors help us to subvert the troubling ties between ageism and sexism, showing how we can instead deliver far more complex narratives of the ageing lives and experiences of all old people.

Historically, the lived experiences, particularly the sexual lives, of single women have been overlooked and marginalised within African feminist discourse. Early African feminist movements prioritised pro-heterosexual marriage and natalism, often sidelining women who did not conform to these norms. This article examines the sexual lives of single Shona women in order to complicate the understanding of female sexualities, desires, and pleasure, particularly how women challenge and dismantle the intertwined systems of heterosexuality and patriarchy that shape heteropatriarchal Shona cultures. This study is grounded in ethnography, using methods of life story interviews, focus group discussions, and participant observation. Ultimately, this paper argues that single women’s narratives especially disrupt dominant epistemologies, contest disparaging perceptions of unmarried women, and challenge stereotypes and patriarchal and religious norms by asserting sexual autonomy, redefining personhood beyond marriage, and resisting societal control over their bodies and desires.