Understanding welfare conditionality in the context of a generational habitus: A qualitative study of older citizens in England

Abstract

HighlightsOlder adults in England narrated experiences as generational.'Our generation' was characterised as having struggled to achieve self-reliance Receipt of universal age-related benefits was congruent with generational habitus Means and needs based conditionality fostered discourses of differentiation.Increasing conditionality may promote division within and between generations 3 Understanding welfare conditionality in the context of a generational habitus: a qualitative study of older citizens in England. AbstractIn many welfare states, 'austerity' policies have ignited debates about the fairness and cost-effectiveness of universal welfare benefits, with benefits received by older citizens a particular topic of concern. Empirical studies suggest that conditionality generates problems of access and uptake but, to date, there has been little research on how different conditions of entitlement are understood by older citizens. This study drew on interviews with 29 older citizens from three areas of England to explore how eligibility for and uptake of different kinds of welfare benefits were understood. In interviews, current entitlement was understood in relation to a generational habitus, in which 'our generation' was framed as sharing cohort experiences, and moral orientations to self-reliance, hard work and struggle.Entitlement to some welfare benefits was taken for granted as a reward owed by the state to its citizens for hard-earned lives. State transfers such as pensions, free travel and fuel subsidies were congruent with a nationalised generational habitus, and fostered recognition, self-worth and the sense of a generation as a collective. In contrast, transfers contingent on economic or need-based conditionality were more explicitly framed as 'benefits', and negatively associated with vulnerability and moral contestation. Uptake was therefore often incompatible with their generational habitus. Calls for introducing further conditionality to benefits for older adults are often based on claims that this will increase fairness and equality. Our analysis 4 suggests, however, that introducing conditionality has the potential to promote inequality and foster differentiation and division, within the older population and between generations.

Seeking assistance in later life: how do older people evaluate their need for assistance?

“…We identified many reasons why participants did not seek assistance from services —many of which have been described in the literature [ 4 , 5 ]—but uniquely, we combine these with participants’ reasons for not pursuing assistance from other sources . The literature suggests that older people’s desire to preserve an independent, self-reliant, responsible self-image can deter assistance-seeking from outside the household [ 6 , 9 , 20 ]. Like others [ 21 ], we found that preparedness to receive assistance depended to some extent on participants’ notion of independence: assistance remained unpalatable while they could remain independent without it, but this view shifted where they perceived that independence could be achieved through assistance.…”

Ageing and memory medication: social rationales and consumption practices

“…Additionally, since old age is not a socially homogenous category, it is important to grasp the effect that different ways of life bear on the generational habitus (Gilleard and Higgs , Milton et al . ) regarding individuals’ therapeutic cultures (Lopes et al . ).…”