Disability, Race, Gender, and Class: Intersections of Inequality and Social Participation Among Older Adults

Background/Purpose: Successful aging has become a national priority due to the increasing proportion of older adults in the population and concern for quality of life at older ages. Social participation, i.e., involvement in activities that provide interaction with others, is an important predictor of successful aging; its inverse, isolation, is detrimental to the wellbeing of older adults.  Social participation can be difficult for some older adults, particularly those with disabilities. Furthermore, older adults who belong to marginalized groups may lack opportunities for social participation relative to those who retain status in majority groups. This study uses an intersectional framework to investigate differences in social participation based on gender, race, and class among older adults, and the extent to which having a disability moderated these relationships.

Methods: Sample and Analysis: This nationally representative sample included 6,818 adults ages 65 years and older, who participated in the National Health and Aging Trends Study. Participants who provided responses for all key variables were retained in the study. Linear regression procedures were used to test the direct and interaction effects of disability, gender, race, and/or class on social participation.

Measures: Disability was operationalized as the sum of both activities of daily living (ADLs) and instrumental ADLs, with a total possible range of 0-24 and an observed range of 0-18 (M=.99 SD=1.95). Gender, race, and class variables were dichotomized as follows:  male/female, White people/Black people, and people with middle or high incomes/assets (MHIA)/people with low incomes/assets (LIA). Males, White people, and people with MHIA were identified as belonging to their respective majority groups. Social participation was measured using a summed scale of ten dichotomous items (range: 0-10, M=4.96, SD=1.93).

Results: Results of direct effects analyses indicated that, compared to White men with MHIA, all other groups except White women with MHIA engaged in social participation less often (with βs ranging from -.03 to -.18; p<.05). Results of interaction analyses indicated that having a disability affected relationships between gender, race, and/or class and social participation such that, as severity of disability increased, all groups engaged in less social participation (with βs ranging from .09 to .17; p<.05). The negative effect of disability on social participation was most pronounced for White men with MHIA (β = -.32; p<.001).   

Conclusions and Implications: Not surprisingly, these findings indicate that having a disability is a barrier to social engagement among older adults regardless of social status. However, results also reveal that having a disability differentially impacts certain social groups more than others. In this case, White men with MHIA who also have a disability were least likely to engage in social participation. This is concerning because older White men are more vulnerable to mortality and suicide compared to other groups. Social participation, because it contributes to successful aging, may help to reduce these tragic events. More broadly, organizations that depend on the participation of older adults (e.g., civic groups, social clubs) should take steps to eliminate barriers older adults with disabilities encounter when trying to participate in these organizations.