The present study discusses the problem of communication in the family, focusing on the relationship between children, parents, and grandparents, especially in issues of interaction and power. The methodology used was participant observation and discourse analysis of the life history of 20 elderly and 10 young women, reported either in written, verbal or non-verbal form. Gender identity and power space represented as the male symbolic domain was of major interest. Conflicts between the roles traditionally attributed to women, associated to prejudices regarding elderly women and the new roles imposed on them, in the interaction with the young generation, were evident. It was demonstrated that, in their daily lives, there is the intention, by incorporating new knowledge, to modify communicational attitudes and try and understand the conflicting roles and values, through the construction of partnership between older and younger generations.
elderly; power; youth