Why is Rural Ageing Important?
On behalf of the International Network on Rural Ageing
___________________________________________________________________
Rural ageing encompasses a complex set of dynamics that emerge from the
characteristics and processes of rural settings and the social, economic and health
experiences of older people. It is often the intersection between these characteristics
and experiences that can shape an older person’s quality of life, level of inclusion
and happiness. However, rural ageing has not received sufficient attention within the
research literature. While research on older people in rural areas has been a feature
of gerontological interest for many years, rural ageing has not yet established itself
as a coherent and meaningful field in gerontology. This begs the question whether or
not rural ageing is important at all? And indeed, in an increasingly urbanised society,
whether the more intriguing rural ageing questions remain relevant? For at least two
reasons, the answer to both questions is ‘yes’.
Firstly, we have to consider national, regional and global demographics. At
first glance, international population statistics may suggest a dominance of urban
ageing patterns, with a growing proportion of older people resident in urban locales.
Despite this trend, however, and the general increase in social, economic and
cultural urbanisation, just under half (48 per cent) of the world’s older population lives
in rural areas. Although developing regions are responsible for the largest segment
of the older rural population, rural ageing is far from being exclusive to only the
developing world. In the majority of countries, the proportion of the population that is
older is greater in rural than urban areas (United Nations, 2009)1. In purely
demographic terms then, and with evidence of complex patterns of counterurbanisation, retirement migration and return migration, older people in rural areas
continue to be a significant group in the ageing population.
Secondly, we have to consider what we do and do not know about rural
ageing and, perhaps, what we think we know. This is a little more complicated given
that we have to look across disciplines and account for the changes in context that
have already occurred and attempt to predict the social, economic and demographic
changes that may occur in the future. Usefully, there have been a number of efforts
to point the way here.
The International Rural Aging Project and the subsequent Shepherdstown
Report (1999)2 highlighted key topics in rural ageing that were considered priority
areas for the international research community (i.e. demography, health,
intergenerational relationships, life-course perspectives, participation of rural elders,
impact of technology, and evidence of successful rural policies). Although one of the
goals of the project was to set an agenda for rural ageing research, Burholt and
Dobbs (2012)3 illustrate that 13 years later there is still a substantial way to go. While
there might have been an increase in the number of studies on these topics in rural
areas, generally research has lacked both a critical and analytical focus. In many
cases, ‘rural’ is viewed more as a research setting than seen as an ever-changing
context that can potentially shape experiences and outcomes for older people.
1
United Nations (2009). World Population Ageing 2009 (ESA/P/WP/212)
International Rural Aging Project (1999). Shepherdstown Report on Rural Aging: the result of the
expert group meeting, May 22-25, 1999, Shepherdstown, WV, USA.
3
Burholdt, V., Dobbs, C. (2012), Research on rural ageing: Where have we got to and where are we
going in Europe? Journal of Rural Studies, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2012.01.009.
2
In conceptual terms, there has been a failure to interrogate some of the more
pervasive societal constructs in the context of rural areas. For example, poverty and
social exclusion are useful concepts to help describe the multi-dimensional
processes of disadvantage that can occur in all settings, but have not been engaged
with in a meaningful way for older people in rural places. There are certainly
elements of rural areas such as weak service infrastructure, changing demographic
patterns and potentially weak social connections that mean such constructs can
have relevance to the lives of rural older people. Yet, there are also deeper, more
involved, processes embedded in geographic, demographic, economic and sociocultural aspects of rural communities that make these particularly complex
constructions to understand. This is further compounded by notions, perceived or
otherwise, of the invisibility of disadvantage in rural communities.
Ageing in rural settings must also be looked at within the frame of some of the
broader debates around ageing concepts. While this includes such ideas as healthy
ageing, active ageing, and successful ageing, most recently it involves the
proliferation of the notion of age-friendly communities. This programme, which first
focused on cities and highly urbanised areas, is steadily moving to rural settlements.
In itself such a transition is conceptually useful, pointing to how rural and urban may
not exist on a binary plane, but sit on a continuum where they can shape each
other’s existence and futures. This is certainly reflected in the international literature
where there has been an increase in the study of suburban, urban-fringe and nearurban communities. Nevertheless, there remains a legitimate question that has yet to
be answered in the research literature around what exactly constitutes an agefriendly rural community.
So, while it is fair to say that in demographic and research terms, rural ageing
remains an important field of study within gerontology, it is also one that requires a
more coherent and systematic approach to address some of the current knowledge
deficits. Against this backdrop, leading international researchers on ageing and
rurality met at the Irish Centre for Social Gerontology, National University of Ireland
Galway, to establish the International Network on Rural Ageing (INRA). The two-day
meeting, held in April 2012, mapped out the key rural ageing research questions and
some of the challenges that researchers face in addressing these questions.
Participants acknowledged that there was a need to prioritise rural issues in research
and policy debates on ageing.
Some of the founding members of the International Network on Rural Ageing
It is on this basis that the network seeks to link disconnected dialogues and research
agendas across ageing and rurality disciplines. Reflecting the global nature of the
issues under consideration, its membership is multi-disciplinary and is drawn from
Europe, North America, Australasia and Africa.
With a series of research projects on rural ageing and a number of dedicated
researchers, the Irish Centre for Social Gerontology is ideally positioned to host and
coordinate the Network. Situated in a predominantly rural region in a nation with one
of the highest proportions of rural older people in the developed world, the
geographic context of the
Centre also suits the focus Members of the International Network on Rural Ageing
and the nature of the
Nana Apt
Network. INRA is currently 1. Prof.
Professor of Sociology and Dean of Academic Affairs,
in
the
process
of
Ashesi University, Ghana
developing a long-term
2. Prof. Vanessa Burholt
programme
of
work
Centre for Innovative Ageing,
around key rural ageing
Swansea University, Wales
issues. Members are also 3. Dr. Ricca Edmondson
engaged in a series of
Political Science and Sociology,
National University of Ireland Galway, Ireland
other research activities,
including focusing on the 4. Prof. Jenny De Jong Gierveld
The Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute
conceptualisation
and
The Netherlands
measurement of agerelated
rural
social 5. Prof. Norah Keating
Department of Human Ecology,
exclusion. The Network
University of Alberta, Canada
represents the first in a
series of steps that are 6. Prof. Harald Künemund
Centre for Ageing and Society,
required to reposition rural
University of Vechta, Germany
ageing as an important
field of study within 7. Dr. Suzanne Moffatt
Institute of Health and Society,
gerontological and related
Newcastle University, England
social science disciplines.
8. Prof. Thomas Scharf
Irish Centre for Social Gerontology,
National University of Ireland Galway, Ireland
9. Prof. Marjaana Seppänen
University of Lapland,
Finland
10. Prof. Mark Shucksmith
School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape,
Newcastle University, England
11. Dr. Kieran Walsh
Irish Centre for Social Gerontology,
National University of Ireland Galway, Ireland
12. Prof. Jeni Warburton
John Richards Initiative, Faculty of Health Sciences,
La Trobe University, Australia
For further information on the Network, please e-mail [email protected] or
[email protected].