GENPATH

A life course perspective on the GENdered PATHways of social exclusion in later life, and its consequences for health and well-being

Topics: Sex, Gender and Aging; Sex, Gender and Health

Social exclusion is a multifaceted social problem with substantial disruptive consequences for individuals and society. One aspect of social exclusion is the exclusion from social relations, which is the key focus of this proposal. Being socially connected is a universal basic human need, but a substantial number of people lack the essential social resources necessary for a healthy and happy life. GENPATH focusses on post-retirement age; a life phase where social inclusion becomes a crucial factor for health and wellbeing. Men and in particular women have an increased risk to be socially excluded after retirement. Women are more often frail, more often widowed, have lower levels of education, have more often disrupted working careers, lower pensions, and less economic resources. The large variation in social exclusion and the varying impact of gender across welfare states indicates a key role of the macro-social context. However, little is known about how precise the welfare state context influences the construction and outcomes of social exclusion. The proposed project aims at analysing the origin of gender differences in the prevalence and generation of exclusion from social relations across European countries, and consequences of this exclusion for health and wellbeing. Findings will inform the scientific debate about gender differences in and social exclusion and instruct policies towards a reduction in social exclusion among older men and women. GENPATH fits the SDG 5: Gender equality and SDG 3: Good health and wellbeing.

GENPATH will provide answers to the following questions:

1. What is the prevalence of exclusion from social relations and its risk factors in later life in Europe and how does this vary across societies as well as between older men and women?
2. What are outcomes of exclusions from social relations in later life in Europe and how does these vary across societies as well as between older men and women?
3. Do variations in micro-, meso-, and macro-level drivers for exclusion, including the gendered social norms, key life transitions and exclusionary processes, help to explain cross-national and gender differences in the prevalence of exclusion from social relations?
4. Do micro-, meso-, and macro-level factors, including the gendered social norms, key life transitions and exclusionary processes, have a moderating or mediating impact on outcomes of exclusion from social relations, and do differences in the prevalence of these factors explain cross-national and gender differences in outcomes from exclusion from social relations?
5. How to design policies and interventions to address the sources and alleviate the negative outcomes of the exclusion from social relations in men and women during their life course? How, if at all, should these policies and interventions be fitted to welfare regimes of various nation states?

Project work packages:

WP1 (leaders: Marja Aartsen, Ariela Lowenstein): Gender and country differences in the construction of exclusion from social relations in later life.
WP2 (leaders: Andreas Motel-Klingebiel, Kieran Walsh): Gender and country differences in outcomes of exclusion from social relations.
WP3 (leaders: Anna Wanka, Anna Urbaniak, Feliciano Villar): The gendered nature of the lived experiences of exclusion from social relations.
WP4 (leaders: Lucie Vidovicova, Marcela Petrova Kafkova) Integrative perspective on the gendered nature of exclusion from social relations and dissemination of the research findings.

 

Project Coordinator

Masaryk University, Faculty of Social Studies, Office for Population Studies; Brno, Czech Republic; Lucie Vidovićová, PhD.

Countries

Austria, Czech Republic, Ireland, Israel, Norway, Spain, Sweden

Institutions involved


• UNIVIE, Dep. of Sociology, University of Vienna, Austria
• MUNI, Office for Population Study; Faculty of Social Studies, Masaryk University, Czech Republic
• Život90/Life 90, Czech Republic
• NUIG, Irish Centre for Social Gerontology, Institute for Lifecourse and Society, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland
• HU, Haifa University, Israel
• NOVA, Norwegian Social Research, OsloMet – Oslo Metropolitan University, Norway
• UB, Dep. of Cognition, Developmental and Educational Psychology, University of Barcelona, Spain
• LiU, Dep. of Social and Welfare Studies, Division Ageing and Social Change, Linköping University, Sweden

Website

https://www.muni.cz/en/research/projects/45267

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/GenpathTeam

Contacts
Lucie Vidovićová
FSS MU
Joštova 10
602 00 Brno
Czech Republic
vidovicova@fss.muni.cz

Linköping University
Andreas Motel-Klingebiel

National University of Ireland
Kieran Walsh

NOVA Norwegian Social Research, Oslo Metropolitan University

Marja Aartsen

Universitat de Barcelona
Feliciano Villar Posada

University of Haifa
Ariela Lowenstein

University of Vienna
Franz Kolland
ŽIVOT 90, z.ú.
Jan Lorman

Masaryk University
Lucie Vidovićová

Check out the project’s website for academic publications : https://www.muni.cz/en/research/projects/45267