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Identifying the Third Agers: An Analysis of British Retirees' Leisure Pursuits

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  • Stella Chatzitheochari
  • Sara Arber

Abstract

Despite the recent theoretical focus on the emergence of the Third Age as a period of fulfilment and an ongoing engagement with an active leisure lifestyle, there is a dearth of quantitative studies on how older people spend their time. Few studies of later life capitalise on time-use surveys, which constitute the most widely employed and accurate methodology for collecting data on everyday life. This article analyses data from the 2000 UK Time Use Survey in order to operationalise the concept of the Third Age and test theoretical propositions regarding the irrelevance of social divisions in the formation of an active leisure lifestyle after retirement. The analysis focuses on a subsample of 1615 people over the age of 64. An index of active leisure activities is constructed in order to estimate the proportion of third agers amongst British retirees. Logistic regression models are specified to examine the relative influence of socio-demographic characteristics on the probability of a person being a third ager. Strong effects of structural factors and health are found, which do not support arguments suggesting a minor influence of social context in lifestyle choices after retirement. ‘Active’ ageing appears to be the province of those who are culturally and materially advantaged, and it is the healthy, educated, upper-class and middle-class men that are more likely to engage in a Third Age leisure lifestyle.

Suggested Citation

  • Stella Chatzitheochari & Sara Arber, 2011. "Identifying the Third Agers: An Analysis of British Retirees' Leisure Pursuits," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 16(4), pages 44-55, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:socres:v:16:y:2011:i:4:p:44-55
    DOI: 10.5153/sro.2451
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Katharine G. Abraham & Aaron Maitland & Suzanne M. Bianchi, 2006. "Non-response in the American Time Use Survey: Who Is Missing from the Data and How Much Does It Matter?," NBER Technical Working Papers 0328, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    2. Chris Gilleard & Paul Higgs & Martin Hyde & Richard Wiggins & David Blane, 2005. "Class, Cohort, and Consumption: The British Experience of the Third Age," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 60(6), pages 305-310.
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    1. Bertil Vilhelmson & Eva Thulin & Erik Elldér, 2022. "Is ageing becoming more active? Exploring cohort-wise changes in everyday time use among the older population in Sweden," European Journal of Ageing, Springer, vol. 19(3), pages 447-461, September.

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