The focus on grandmothering also casts menopause in a new light, suggesting that it isn’t some biological blip or routine curse of old age, but that it’s there for a distinct evolutionary purpose: to allow women to safely continue caring for their children as they grow older and perhaps also be there for their grandchildren. The old image of the useless crone is replaced by a useful woman. Rather than being a burden on society, retreating into a quieter life, she is front and center. She is propping up her family.
