Eight - The urban–rural split in ageing Australia: diverging lifecourses, diverging experiences

Summary

Introduction

This chapter explores the diverse experiences of older people and the places in which they live. Given its geographical land mass, Australia is a country of contrasts and divergent spaces, and one of the major divides is between urban and rural areas. Most of Australia's population resides in urban settings, and historically research in ageing has focused on the experiences of older people in metropolitan environments. It is only recently that, across the world, there has been a surge in interest in the lives of older people living in rural areas. Authors such as Keating (2008b) have highlighted the challenges associated with rural ageing, by questioning whether rural locations are good places to grow old, prompted by concerns in relation to the increased proportions of people ageing in rural areas internationally (United Nations, 2009). This includes Australia, where population ageing is more pronounced in rural than urban settings (Davis and Bartlett, 2008).

Thus, this chapter aims to contribute to understandings of the urban–rural split in an ageing Australia. By considering some of the socioeconomic and demographic differences that are experienced in these settings across the lifecourse, we are contributing to a richer appreciation of ageing in the contemporary context. In response to rural population ageing, attention has been directed towards how rural environments, and the demographic shifts that occur within them, influence the ageing process (Wahl and Weisman, 2003), particularly in considering factors associated with rurality that impact on individuals across the lifecourse. However, while lifecourse studies have become fundamental within social gerontology (Bengtson et al, 2012), there has been limited exploration of how the diverse trajectories of older people shape their experience of ageing in a rural environment. Deconstructing this is important, as older rural residents and communities are diverse, and their lifecourse interactions with rurality will differ (Keating and Phillips, 2008). Thus, we draw on environmental gerontology and lifecourse theory to explore how older Australians’ relationships with their rural environments are influenced by lifecourse interactions.

Understanding the demography of rural ageing

In identifying the lifecourse impact of rurality, defining the ‘rural lens’ is critical. Locality-based definitions (Halfacree, 1993; Woods, 2005) reflect measurable characteristics, such as population size, density and distance from urban centres (Halfacree, 1993; Keating and Phillips, 2008).