Social Inclusion at the Intersection of Age, Gender, and Other Inequalities: Evidence from Switzerland

Yang Li, University of Lausanne
Dario Spini, University of Lausanne

In Switzerland, 38% of the adult population experience loneliness, which is more prevalent among older adults and individuals with a migration background. While past interventions have helped reduce loneliness by fostering social connections, these interventions were often based on unidimensional demographic categorizations (e.g. older adults or foreigners), neglecting the intersectional and multiplicative nature of social identities, thereby limiting the precision of interventions to enhance social inclusion. Using data collected from a longitudinal participatory action research project (n=1,360), we sought to understand the extent to which intersectional identities combined to shape risks of loneliness in a municipality in western Switzerland. Employing innovative multilevel techniques, we found that 56% of the variance between intersectional groups was explained by multiplicative identities (age x gender x nationality x education) – above and beyond the additive effects of social identities (age + gender + nationality + education). In particular, we identified that older migrants with low educational attainment were most at risk of loneliness and would be logical intervention targets. Interventions to build inclusive societies may benefit from understanding the population’s intersectional identities for precise outreach and customised communications targeting their most vulnerable individuals.

Keywords: Inequality, Disadvantage and Discrimination, Population Ageing, Gender Dynamics

See extended abstract.