Abstract This article addresses the limited understanding of how variegated practices of everyday automobility shape – and are shaped by – ageing processes of older adults in urban contexts, focusing on Brescia, Northern Italy. While automobility, driving and driving cessation are often studied as functional aspects of older adults’ (im)mobility, their relational dimensions – spanning multiple and diverse practices – remain largely under-explored. The research examines how older adults navigate the contradictions and challenges of urban life, health conditions and social structures through relational automobilities . Drawing on an ongoing ethnographic study, the article highlights how automobility serves simultaneously as a resource, a limitation and a medium for forging and sustaining social, emotional, geographical and material relationships. The findings reveal that diverse practices and experiences of automobility are deeply embedded in affective economies, interdependencies and the biopolitics of ageing, shaping – and being shaped by – the lived experiences of older adults. By conceptualizing automobility as a socio-material and relational process, the article aims at bridging critical gerontology and mobilities studies, offering new insights into how ageing and mobility practices co-produce ageing selves and conditions of being (im)mobile. This study contributes to ongoing debates in critical gerontology by problematizing dichotomic understandings of older adults’ experiences in terms such as independence versus dependence and mobility versus stasis, while also informing urban policies aimed at fostering inclusive mobility practices. This article emphasizes the need to address the socio-material and relational networks underpinning automobility, offering a nuanced perspective on the interplay between mobility, ageing and urban life.

Abstract Care for older relatives is central in ageing societies, and the timing of caregiving onset significantly shapes caregivers’ health, social and employment trajectories. However, differences in the age at which family caregiving begins and their potential social and intersectional stratification have not been sufficiently explored. Using data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), we analysed individuals becoming daily caregivers between Waves 1 and 9 (ages 50–95). We explored intersectional inequalities in the age of caregiving onset, distinguishing intra- (partner, siblings) and intergenerational (parents, in-laws) caregiving. Intra-generational caregiving onset had a maximum 11-year difference between strata, while intergenerational caregiving had a four-year maximum difference. Across both types of care, women with low-skill occupations and high education had an earlier caregiving onset in the lifecourse. This was particularly pronounced for intra-generational care, with unique intersectional differences that could not be explained by single social factors alone. These findings highlight large inequalities in the age of caregiving onset between intersectional strata for both intra- and intergenerational care, demonstrating that becoming a care-giver is a socially stratified lifecourse transition. This contribution identifies who enters caregiving earlier, informing more targeted policy and practitioner support to prevent the accumulation of disadvantage in older ages. Mapping the social heterogeneity and intersectional nature of caregiving onset is critical to further understanding the prerequisites, meaning and consequences for family caregivers across the lifecourse.

Abstract Time perspective can shape how individuals experience life, influencing their wellbeing, perspectives and interactions with societal attitudes. This study explores the interconnections between time perspective, perceived ageism and subjective wellbeing (SWB) across the lifespan. Specifically, it aims to (1) compare time perspective, perceived ageism and SWB among three age cohorts across the lifespan; (2) analyse the influence of time perspective on SWB; and (3) examine whether perceived ageism moderates the relationship between time perspective and SWB. Data were collected from 884 Portuguese participants (aged 18–39, 40–59 and 60+) using various methods and subjected to multivariate analyses of variance (MANOVAs) and moderated regression analyses. Findings suggest distinct differences in time perspective, perceived ageism and SWB between the age cohorts. Future FTP-opportunity decreases with age, while FTP-limitation is higher among older adults. Negative and positive ageism are more prevalent among older adults, with positive ageism increasing with age, and satisfaction with life seems to be higher in middle age. Further, FTP-limitation increases negative affect and reduces positive affect and life satisfaction, while FTP-opportunity boosts both of them. Positive and negative ageism moderate these effects, with positive ageism weakening FTP-opportunity’s benefits and negative ageism intensifying its impact on affect and satisfaction with life. Understanding how perceptions of age and future opportunities shape SWB across life stages is crucial. The findings highlight the impact of ageism on both younger and older adults, emphasizing the need for an inclusive approach to age that promotes wellbeing and opportunities for individuals across the lifecycle.

Abstract Although previous research has demonstrated that social media use (SMU) can influence loneliness, the underlying mechanisms of this relationship among older adults remain insufficiently understood. Specifically, limited research has examined how different purposes of SMU (communication, posting and browsing) may contribute to loneliness through variations in social resources, and for whom these pathways differ as a function of attachment styles. To address these gaps, the present study constructed a moderated mediation model to examine whether perceived social support mediated the relationships between different purposes of SMU and loneliness among older adults, and whether attachment styles moderated the mediation of perceived social support. A total of 538 older adults aged 55 and above participated in this survey. The results revealed that all purposes of SMU (communication, posting and browsing) were significantly and negatively associated with loneliness among older adults. Moreover, perceived social support fully mediated the association between social media communication and loneliness. In addition, attachment anxiety and avoidance moderated this indirect association, such that the protective effect of communication was stronger among older adults with higher attachment anxiety or avoidance, likely due to enhanced perceived social support. These findings emphasize the importance of social media communication in promoting mental wellbeing among older adults and highlight its potential to facilitate their social adaptation in the digital era.

Abstract Globally, grandparents (particularly grandmothers) play a central role in providing regular childcare while mothers participate in employment. In many countries, childcare by grandmothers supports government policy agendas that aim to boost rates of maternal workforce participation. At the same time, mature-age (women) workers are targets of government strategies and policies aiming to boost labour market participation through extending their working lives. It is unclear whether and how expectations of grandparents’ care and work responsibilities are aligned in policy discourses. Drawing on 63 submissions to four Australian government-initiated public inquiries, this article analyses stakeholder discourses encouraging women to increase their labour market participation within a context of known barriers and challenges in the Australian childcare system. The texts offer an ideal corpus for examining the kinds of ‘model’ grandparents that feature in official discourses, and reactions to them by a range of actors in the Australian work and care policy environment. Drawing on the theory of ‘model ageing’, the article uses feminist discourse analysis to interrogate the tensions and contradictions that arise when mothers and grandmothers both become the targets for labour market policies, with a focus on the discursive portrayals of older women as both (potential) workers and childcare providers. The article contributes new knowledge by making visible the latent, normative constructions of grandparenthood shaping contemporary policymaking in the areas of early childhood education and care and women’s employment, and their implications for coherent, equitable policymaking for older adults.

Abstract Ageing is shaped by biological and cultural narratives that influence perceptions of older adults’ wellbeing. Dominant narratives often reinforce ageist stereotypes, equating older adults with frailty and dependency. This study explores how artificial intelligence (AI) art could shape cultural narratives of ageing through a case study of Auntieverse , an AI art project featuring Singaporean auntie figures. Addressing the gap in understanding AI-generated imagery’s sociocultural impact, this study moves beyond existing discourses that focus on therapeutic benefits or technical aspects of AI to explore the shaping of perceptions of ageing. Through a tripartite qualitative design – visual analysis of 40 AI artworks, semi-structured interviews with the artist, and audience interviews with five Singaporean women (aged 20s–60s) – we critically analyse the meaning-making process of ageing by exploring AI-generated artefacts, artistic intention and audience reception. Findings reveal that while Auntieverse seeks to challenge ageist stereotypes by depicting female older adults as autonomous and vibrant, it also highlights the inherent biases embedded in AI aesthetics and the interpretive gap between artistic intent and audience perception. This study positions AI art as a medium for generating new cultural representations of ageing and advocates for a more critical and deliberate engagement with AI’s influence on cultural storytelling. Three central themes emerged for discussion: ‘Re-seeing age identity’, ‘Re-thinking the ageing body’ and ‘RepAInting successful ageing’. While acknowledging the limitations of AI-generated imagery, this study emphasizes the potential of AI art to reshape sociocultural understandings of ageing.

Abstract Existing studies on elderly care vulnerability have overlooked how ageing itself shapes such vulnerability, particularly in rural contexts. To address this research gap, this study explores the impact of ageing on rural elderly care vulnerability through vulnerability decomposition, employing the Alkire-Foster method. We draw on data from the 2013, 2018 and 2021 waves of the Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS). The findings reveal a consistent upward trend in elderly care vulnerability among rural older adults between 2013 and 2021, indicating that population ageing exerts a detrimental effect on the overall elderly care vulnerability of rural seniors. Significant group disparities are observed: the advanced-age group exhibits substantially higher vulnerability than their younger elderly counterparts. Further analysis of the drivers behind this increased vulnerability shows that from 2013 to 2018, the number of children and property holdings were the primary influencing factors. In contrast, from 2018 to 2021, heightened deprivation in social interaction and insufficient participation in insurance schemes emerged as key contributors. Additionally, participation in political, economic and religious activities was found to alleviate elderly care vulnerability – with these mitigating effects being more pronounced among men, economically disadvantaged individuals and those with lower educational attainment.

Abstract Many academics have used the concept of intersectional discrimination, based on age, gender and sexual orientation, to describe the challenging situation of older lesbians. In contrast, the present study demonstrates that the invisibility of older lesbians can create opportunities for freely expressing their sexual identity. Relying on semi-structured interviews with 21 Israeli lesbian women aged between 50 and 79 years, the research explores how older lesbians experience this invisibility and what coping strategies they use. Using thematic analysis, a broad theme concerning the subversive meaning of invisibility is identified. This is defined as a situation in which an individual becomes noticeable through unconventional behaviours that are not inherently linked to their social status, leading to confusion and surprise among onlookers. The broader theme is subdivided into two sub-themes: (1) interpersonal invisibility, as a source of personal freedom from societal norms; and (2) intrapersonal visibility, as promoting acceptance in experiencing one’s own sexual identity. The findings are analysed through the lens of three theories: intersectionality, the psychology of invisibility and theories of weak resistance. The interpretation of the participants’ narratives indicates that older lesbians employ rebellious and subversive strategies to cope with the consequences of social invisibility.