Active ageing: a critical analysis

Abstract

This article intends to make a contribution to the critical discussion of the active ageing policy. The analysis undertaken allows to conclude that there are different conceptions of active ageing, that the general idea of “ageing actively” has a limited theoretical support, and that the ideal of “being productive”, which is present in the different conceptions of active ageing, has a weak fit in the reality. It is also possible to conclude that the active ageing policy has several potential positive effects, such as the possibility to promote the empowerment of the older people, but it has “ageism” as a serious obstacle, to which we can add several risks, for example the risks of moralism, policy ethnocentrism and unrealism.