The Aging Woman and the Death of the Matriarchal Family

When One Life to Live was still on air one of its great draws was the Cramer Women. The Cramer Women were a matriarchal family centered in the soap opera headed by the indomitable Dorian Lord. The Cramer Women may have bickered amongst themselves but they closed ranks when outside forces attacked on their own. There was no doubt they loved each other. The Lord family had a matriarch of their own in the form of Victoria Lord, after years of being ruled by the abusive and hateful Victor Lord.. Vicki Lord was a welcomed change. She was loving but firm. Katherine Chancellor led not only her family, but also the family company.  Matriarchal families dominated the landscape of soap opera for a couple of reasons. Soap Operas made their bread and butter on showcasing the talent of older female actresses at a time when showcasing the humanity of women over the age of 35 on television seemed abnormal.
Frances Reid started work on Days of Our Lives at the age of 41. She became the mother to the core family in Salem (the Hortons). The job was significant because it allowed Frances, a experienced stage actor, to work consistently until the end of her life in television.
After the death of Frances Reid, Suzanne Rogers (Maggie Horton) took over the role of "guiding grandma" within the Horton family.
Part of the brilliance in telling an intergenerational story is the ability to showcase/ display the roles of the women within their families. As a society we often disregard the emotional labor women provide to their families, but  soap operas in their prime celebrated the complex inner lives of women. They dramatized the daily struggle of acting as an emotional backbone of a large interconnected family and it  served as the basis for an engrossing drama.
I revered the women in soap operas. Lainey from General Hospital was the therapist I aimed to be. She was capable, self assured, and competent. Robin held her dignity so close to her chest I thought it would crumble, but instead it constantly grew. It grew as she was challenged by her professional and personal relationships.
When I started writing this, soap operas seemed to have strayed from honoring the complex inner lives of women, then the story of Victoria and JT took hold on Young and the Restless and reminded me that soap operas can never stray too far from the women the built it.