Social spaces for seniors: Exploring seniors’ centres and clubs in Australia

Abstract

The industrialized world is facing an ageing population. Sociology needs to focus on the social impact of demographic change, in particular, how seniors remain socially integrated and what this integration means. Gerontological research has focused on the role of seniors’ centres in the US and Europe, but such research has been lacking in Australia. This article provides much-needed ethnographic research on a range of Australian seniors’ groups which provide outlets for social participation. It develops a typology of seniors’ groups through an exploration of organizational structures, funding models, and their impact on participation and sociality. It argues that because Australian groups prioritize leisure over service delivery, uneven divisions of volunteer labour emerge, which can lead to conflict. The article questions the current gerontological consensus that seniors’ groups are sites of community, arguing that physical proximity does not equal intimate sociality. It addresses these challenges faced by seniors’ groups and new ones posed by the mass-retirement of more ‘active’ baby-boomers.