Political Agency at Older Ages in Turkey

Abstract

Today there is a continuing increase in both absolute and relative numbers of old people in the Turkish population. Paradoxically, this category of people is devalued and portrayed through deficiency and insufficiency in modern capitalist society. It is critical to emphasize that old age groups have some agency that helps to transform society. Certainly, one of the most important kinds of agency they have is a political one, depending on parameters such as gender, level of educational attainment, residential area, and health status. The research included a field study drawing upon the quantitative data gathered through structured interviews conducted with a sample of 416 people aged 65 and above, and the qualitative data gathered through in-depth interviews conducted with 16 people chosen from the same research population. Drawing upon Giddens' Structuration Theory, this article revealed that although majority of old people are not highly engaged to politics, heterogeneity among old people should be taken into consideration while examining the forms and the levels of political agency. Particularly old people who are living at the urban center, having a higher degree of educational attainment, and being healthier and male are much more likely to have a higher political agency.