ACTIVE AGEING IN THE EVERYDAY AND WORKING LIVES OF OLDER SINGAPOREANS

Abstract

Using Singapore as a case study, my research examines active ageing in the everyday and working lives of older Singaporeans. I argue that the concept of active ageing – often critiqued for disregarding the agency of older people – can be enhanced by a more nuanced understanding of how agency operates in their daily and working lives. Using a conceptual triad of labour agency (Katz, 2004), agency (Donald et al, 2020) and governmentality (Foucault, 1991), my study draws on the lived experiences of English-speaking Professional, Managerial, Executive and Technical (PMET) workers, and explores the relationship between the discourses and the experiences of older workers as they attempt to age actively. My findings suggest that individuals are embedded in multiple power relations and constantly in flux between acts and attitudes of resilience, re-working and resistance as they continually (re-)set goals, practise self-efficacy and initiate action.