Towards an interdisciplinary theoretical framework for the study of residential transitions at older ages

Celia Fernández Carro, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

A large increase of ageing population in European countries is expected in the coming decades. According to Eurostat, in 2040 those older than 65 years old will represent a third of the total population of the EU27. This picture has directed demography and population studies research towards the understanding of different aspects of ageing dynamics. Within this context, residential mobility has been one of the emerging topics due to the impact that living strategies and housing needs at older ages may have on later-life well-being. The main objective of this work is to bring together the most important theoretical contributions that explain residential mobility; especially those focused on older life transitions. On one hand, at micro level, those focused on explaining the changes in different life course’s domains (family, work and health), also in how they may induce a housing transition for an elderly person, determining the last stage of their housing career. On the other hand, the macro level explains the effect of the structural restrictions to the older mobility; housing market dynamics, public policies or social and cultural factors. Due to the importance that elderly collectives will represent in the near future, this is an essential issue not only for demographers and other social scientists, but also for policy makers interested in understanding the longitudinal dimension of elderly mobility patterns. In addition, possible future lines of research in this field will be highlighted.