Mothers, daughters, boundaries, and divides: Tracing the concept of difference and generation in women's activism

Though concepts of intersectionality are pervasive in contemporary activist communities, identity markers such as age and generation are rarely studied. However, it is imperative scholars and activists consider how perceived divisions over biological age have had both productive and inhibitive properties for women's movements. Organizing around age-based communities has enabled women to traverse geographic and cultural boundaries in some cases; in others, the notion of age difference proves divisive and contentious, hindering the momentum of advocacy worldwide. Drawing primarily on data from a multi-year, qualitative study of three transnational feminist networks as well as consideration of voices from recent movements, this article traces the articulation of age difference and the transboundary discourse among women's rights activists it has created.