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Only connect? Older lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) adults and social capital

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 September 2012

ANN CRONIN  and
ANDREW KING
ANN CRONIN*
Affiliation:
Formerly Sociology Department, University of Surrey, Guildford, UK.
ANDREW KING
Affiliation:
School of Social Science, Kingston University, Kingston upon Thames, UK.
*
Address for correspondence: Andrew King, School of Social Science, Kingston University, Penrhyn Road, Kingston upon Thames KT1 2EE, UK. E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

The concept of social capital is widely used in the social sciences and has, to an extent, been applied to the lives and social networks of older lesbian, gay and bisexual (hereafter LGB) adults. Developing existing research, this paper argues that while not without its problems, the concept of social capital enriches our understanding of these networks, whilst simultaneously deconstructing the negative stereotypes surrounding homosexuality in later life. However, little attention has been paid to the social factors that mediate access and participation in lesbian and gay communities and the implications of this on the quality and experience of later life. Drawing on qualitative research conducted in the United Kingdom, this paper illustrates how biography, gender and socio-economic status are significant mediators in the development and maintenance of social capital by older LGB adults. It concludes with a set of recommendations aimed at improving the social capital of older LGB adults, together with the importance of ‘queering’ the concept itself.

Keywords

lesbiangaylater lifesexualitysocial capitalsocial networks
Type
Articles
Information
Ageing & Society , Volume 34 , Issue 2 , February 2014 , pp. 258 - 279
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2012 

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