The two articles in this notebook are part of a dossier on social exclusion and aging published in Retraite et société (no. 81). The texts evoke the life paths of people in situations of exclusion in old age, often combined with cumulative disadvantages throughout their lives.

Low income & social exclusion

Income is a measure of social exclusion. The first article by Angelika Thelin, et al. brings together two important studies on the experience of living on a low income in later life. In the literature, there are only a few studies that have approached the question of how older people manage on low incomes from a qualitative methodological design.

The article provides convincing evidence of the association between different life trajectories and low income. It shows how individuals’ experiences can differ according to these trajectories. The authors define these trajectories as continuity, slope, fall, rollercoaster and margins. Each trajectory in turn leads to a particular experience of life on a low income.

Health & social exclusion

The second article mobilises data from the Survey on Health Ageing & Retirement in Europe. Two important questions are addressed in the paper by Michał Myck, Mateusz Najsztub and Monika Oczkowska. Is the health of people in the age group 50-56 improving and are social class differences in health narrowing? These are fundamental questions with important consequences for policies related to ageing populations.

Many factors influence health outcomes. These include lifestyle, medical advances and changes in the working environment. These factors all interact with socio-economic status. The authors thus demonstrate the impact of socio-economic status on health and the accentuation of differences over the life course.

Contents

Foreword, by Jim Ogg, Editor-in-chief, Retraite et société

Experience life courses of older people living on low incomes: a qualitative secondary analysis of interviews in Sweden and Belgium, by Angelica Thelin

Is the socioeconomic gradient in later life health getting flatter? by Michal Myck, Mateusz Najsztub, Monica Oczkowskaoland