LGBT* People in Later Life

The State of Research and Opportunities for Empirical Quantitative Analysis with Secondary Data in Germany

Datos Bibliográficos

ID6440134
AutoresRobert Heidemann (0000-0003-4496-4031, TU Dortmund University, autor de correspondencia), Lisa De Vries (0000-0002-1474-9405, German Institute for Adult Education), Zaza Zindel (0000-0002-9898-0726, Bielefeld University), Ralf Lottmann (0000-0002-8023-6544, Hochschule Magdeburg-Stendal)
Año2025
Volumen77
Número4
Páginas911-935
Fecha de publicación2025-11-17
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaKZfSS Kölner Zeitschrift für Soziologie und Sozialpsychologie (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0023-2653 • E-ISSN: 1861-891X
EditorialSpringer Science+Business Media (PUBLISHER • DE)
DOI10.1007/s11577-025-01031-y
OpenAlexW4416299084
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas1
Referencias citadas61

Increasing population ageing and demographic change are accompanied by greater diversity among later age cohorts. This phenomenon is evident with regard to the specific aspect of sexual and gender diversity. In recent decades, an increasing number of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans*, and other sexual and gender minority (LGBT*) people who have lived through periods with different levels of social acceptance and legal equality have been entering later life. However, little is known about the life situations of older LGBT* people in Germany, and this raises questions about how sexual orientation and gender identity affect life situations in old age in our society. Based on the life course approach and the concept of structural stigma, we first theoretically derive the consequences of historical persecution and stigmatisation for life in old age. We then analyse the current state of research on LGBT* people in later life. Due to the lack of quantitative studies on older German LGBT* people, this article mainly summarises the international state of research on differences between LGBT* and cis-heterosexual people, as well as on the ways that LGBT* people differ according to minority status and age cohort. Building on this, we provide an overview of available quantitative secondary datasets that can be used to analyse the life situations of older LGBT* people in Germany. In doing so, we discuss the potential of the study selection for analysing the relevant topics, and we conclude by discussing its limitations together with improvements that could be made to gain better knowledge about this field of research