Habiter autrement pour vieillir autrement

Abstract

This article is based on the observation that women nearing or having reached the retirement age, and who live alone rather than in a relationship, are often numerous within the groups of citizens that are currently coalescing in Europe with the aim of collectively creating and managing a living environment designed to encourage mutual solidarity. Yet the high number of older women in what is known as the revival of cohousing—and which can also be observed in the emergence of women-only projects—has rarely been analyzed. Through an extensive qualitative survey conducted in four European countries, this paper attempts to pinpoint the motivations, backgrounds and forms of engagement of these “granny boomers” who (wish to) live in or have lived in participatory and socially cohesive projects of this type.

Keywords

• Participation
• Solidarity
• Ageing
• Gender
• Europe