Social participation through the lens of diversity

Insights from three social groups of older people in Chile

Datos Bibliográficos

ID7146350
AutoresEllsworth Raymond (0000-0003-2181-2406, Université Laval, autor de correspondencia), Beatriz Rodriguez Gutierrez (University of Chile), Beatriz Rodríguez-Gutiérrez (0000-0002-0402-3838, University of Chile), Maria Victoria Carrasco Pavez (Universidad Central de Chile), Paulina Osorio-Parraguez (0000-0002-6438-3712, University of Chile)
Año2026
Volumen46
Fecha de publicación2026-01-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaAgeing and Society (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0144-686X • E-ISSN: 1469-1779
EditorialCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s0144686x25100226
OpenAlexW4415585311
IdiomaEN
Referencias citadas27

This article explores the experiences of social participation among Indigenous, migrant and older people with disabilities in Chile. While substantial evidence shows the importance of social participation in ageing policy, research on how diverse groups of older people in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) perceive and engage in it is limited. The article examines the participatory practices of these populations and the challenges they face in accessing and being included in their chosen spaces of engagement. Six focus groups were held with key informants from government offices and community-based organizations, and individual in-depth interviews were conducted with older people. The collected data were then analysed using an inductive content analysis approach. Findings show that several historical and structural factors influence social participation among the three studied groups, particularly their vulnerability to precarity and discrimination in the Chilean context. The dominant perspective of key informants on social participation – as a means of staying healthy, keeping busy and finding contentment – should be contrasted with the actual social, cultural and economic circumstances. Indeed, most of the older participants in this study stated that they use social participation as a means of exercising agency, as it allows them to develop significant and supportive relationships that facilitate their daily lives and provide opportunities for individual and collective empowerment. This article contributes to the development of social gerontology in the Global South by integrating diversity into research design and enhancing understanding of the conditions under which people in Chile age and participate in society

Contentment · Diversity (politics) · Focus group · Government (linguistics) · Latin Americans · Older people · Social engagement · Social group · Social vulnerability · Vulnerability (computing) · Aging, Health, and Disability · Social Issues and Sustainability · Social Sciences and Policies