A new image of old age: The case of third age societies

Europe’s older population is shedding its traditional image, which is characterized by need and dependency. Instead, this population group is beginning to adopt an image that is characterized by capability. Corporations and policy-makers already react to this change, e.g. by strengthening older people’s workforce participation. However, opinions still differ on what this new image entails.

This contribution explores the new image of old age, using the concept of the third age as a starting point. The third age describes the life years after retirement and prior to the onset of poor health. Those life years give people the opportunity to pursue activities of their choice, and they are therefore sometimes labeled ‘the crown of life’. The emergence of the third age changes social structures - and it changes the image of old age. We, therefore, expect the new, capability-based image of old age to be particularly common in societies with many third-agers.

To better understand the new image of old age, we answer three questions. First, what is the image of old age across Europe? Second, how strongly pronounced is the third age across Europe? Third, can the emergence of the third age explain the change in the image of old age? To answer these questions, we conducted macro-level analyses with data from international organizations and with survey data. Findings show that there is no straightforward correlation between the emergence of the third age and the new image of old age. The correlation only becomes visible after we separate countries according to welfare regimes. We use this finding to describe different types of third age societies, which we characterize according to the prominent image of old age in them.