Lonely, isolated, self-excluded? What is the reason for the absence of male seniors in cultural institutions?

Abstract

The aim of this article is to present the determinants of the limited presence of senior men in cultural institutions in Poland. The text characterises the context in which older men undertake institutional cultural activity and identifies the main reasons why the scale of their cultural participation is low. The fundamental factors that differentiate the nature of cultural participation are gender, the resulting behavioural patterns and individual adaptation strategies. These themes are analysed in the context of the barriers and problems experienced by male seniors, and the risks of social exclusion within this group are highlighted.