The Third Age: Decline and Freedom, Risks and Resources. Evidences from a Case Study

This paper presents some final reflections based on more than two years of research devoted to studying the dynamics among three dimensions closely (and circularly) linked to social inequality: age, poverty (material and/or relational, overt or latent), and health (objective, perceived). The survey, organized typologically, was conducted on two socially and territorially defined areas of the city of Florence: a mainly working-class neighbourhood and a mainly middle-class one. The research focuses on residents over age 60, a time of life when – as amply shown by the field literature – the processes of social construction of differences and inequalities as well as inter- and intra-generational dynamics become sharper, therefore sociologically clearer. The two case studies provided a new and clearer insight into the condition and perception of age in relation to health and quality of life, in that crucial phase marking one’s exit from the labour market. There are two better-defined issues that offer points for further research: 1) increased longevity presents a powerful but twofold value: stimulus and resource, difficulties and expectations of concern; 2) today’s over sixties and over seventies do not perceive themselves as comparable to their age peers of previous generations, making inapplicable the traditional “age paradigm” with its homogeneous and inexorable rhythms, valid “for all and forever”. Therefore, what forcefully emerges – beyond the different social categories – is a demand for more room for the many third-age dimensions and the importance (not just symbolic) of greater freedom of self-definition.