Abstract
This study explores the social construction of agency and wellbeing among 20 Chinese urban retirees aged between 50 and 82 years old (averaging 67), with a special focus on the impact of earlier life experiences in shaping later-life pathways. Today's retirees in urban China have experienced the communist collectivist ideology during the Mao era as well as the changes to everyday life brought about by the economic transformation from centrally planned socialism to a market-orientated economy. Thereby, life in retirement for Chinese elders becomes more than just an issue of dealing with increases in discretionary time after exit from full-time work, but also one of making sense of their earlier life experiences in the midst of dramatic social changes. A grounded theory approach with semi-structured, in-depth, face-to-face interviews was used for data collection and analysis. Three interrelated themes emerged: (a) reminiscence as a mechanism of meaning-making, (b) discovery and exercise of agency in later life in contrast to a rigidly structured earlier life, and (c) varying pathways to constructing the life-stage of retirement. The findings have refuted gerontological literature and public discourse that often portray Chinese elders as passive care recipients or helpless dependants. Further, the present study has practical implications for developing policies, designing programmes and providing services to improve the quality of life for today's older Chinese people.
Highlights
The number of people in China aged and above reached million by, constituting . per cent of the population
Few studies explore the agency of Chinese elders in constructing a meaningful later life and engaging in self-care, and most importantly, how their exertion of agency and arrangement of everyday life are shaped by historical contexts and social changes that they have experienced across their lifecourse
The present study explores the retirement experiences of today’s Chinese elders by focusing on their agency, connecting their current life situations to their early life experiences and placing them within the context of drastic historical changes
Summary
The number of people in China aged and above reached million by , constituting . per cent of the population The number of people in China aged and above reached million by , constituting . ). The wellbeing of the ageing Chinese population has become the centre of attention for scholars and policy makers. The existing literature on the wellbeing of the older Chinese has mostly focused on how the elders are being cared by families, institutions and the state. Few studies explore the agency of Chinese elders in constructing a meaningful later life and engaging in self-care, and most importantly, how their exertion of agency and arrangement of everyday life are shaped by historical contexts and social changes that they have experienced across their lifecourse
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