Gender inequalities in social club participation in Europe: the role of women’s empowerment at the country level

Abstract

This study examines gender inequalities in the degree of engagement in social clubs of older people and how women’s participation relates to their empowerment at the country level. Combined individual-level data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) and country-level data from the Women’s Political Empowerment Index (WPEI) are used in analyzing 41,185 non-working individuals aged 65–84 across 19 countries. Multilevel regression analyses are conducted to address these aims. We detect notable between-country variations in levels of participation. Substantial differences in the WPEI reflect marked contextual cross-country differences in gender equality. In roughly half of the 19 countries, no gender differences in social club participation are detected; however, women are more likely to participate in social clubs in the more gender-egalitarian countries of France, Denmark, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, whereas in three countries – Italy, Czech Republic and Croatia – more men than women participate in social clubs. Cross-country gender differences in social club participation point to the importance of cultural factors in influencing opportunities for active ageing.