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A question of dignity? Intersectional perspectives on the establishment of old people’s homes in Sweden at the turn of the 20th century

Lagerlöf Nilsson, Ulrika and Castenbrandt, Helene LU (2026) In International Journal of Ageing and Later Life
Abstract
Care for older persons is a universal issue, but around 1900, new groups of wage-earners created a need for an age of retirement, forming a new era of institutional care. These old people’s homes were often charitable trusts, which required them to be seen as respectable to attract funding. Residents therefore faced a two-way contract: being offered dignified housing if they met societal standards of worthiness. Through a quali­tative analysis, this article shows how such institutions needed to distin­guish themselves from poorhouses, how their economies could be a mix of private and public funding and how they contributed to disciplining old age. Gothenburg Old People’s Home is used as an illustrative example to show how the image of old... (More)
Care for older persons is a universal issue, but around 1900, new groups of wage-earners created a need for an age of retirement, forming a new era of institutional care. These old people’s homes were often charitable trusts, which required them to be seen as respectable to attract funding. Residents therefore faced a two-way contract: being offered dignified housing if they met societal standards of worthiness. Through a quali­tative analysis, this article shows how such institutions needed to distin­guish themselves from poorhouses, how their economies could be a mix of private and public funding and how they contributed to disciplining old age. Gothenburg Old People’s Home is used as an illustrative example to show how the image of old people’s homes was negotiated in terms of dignity, intersecting with class, gender and age whilst the upholding of social order-shaped notions of equality. (Less)
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author
and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
epub
subject
keywords
dignity, disciplining, history of eldercare, old people’s home, retirement
in
International Journal of Ageing and Later Life
publisher
Linkoping University Electronic Press
ISSN
1652-8670
DOI
10.3384/ijal.1652-8670.5709
project
Work, Ageing and Welfare: Retirement Behaviour in Sweden before the Modern Pension System
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
36a773fe-5308-42fc-8c25-a014194b29b1
date added to LUP
2026-03-26 15:21:02
date last changed
2026-03-26 15:51:11
@article{36a773fe-5308-42fc-8c25-a014194b29b1,
  abstract     = {{Care for older persons is a universal issue, but around 1900, new groups of wage-earners created a need for an age of retirement, forming a new era of institutional care. These old people’s homes were often charitable trusts, which required them to be seen as respectable to attract funding. Residents therefore faced a two-way contract: being offered dignified housing if they met societal standards of worthiness. Through a quali­tative analysis, this article shows how such institutions needed to distin­guish themselves from poorhouses, how their economies could be a mix of private and public funding and how they contributed to disciplining old age. Gothenburg Old People’s Home is used as an illustrative example to show how the image of old people’s homes was negotiated in terms of dignity, intersecting with class, gender and age whilst the upholding of social order-shaped notions of equality.}},
  author       = {{Lagerlöf Nilsson, Ulrika and Castenbrandt, Helene}},
  issn         = {{1652-8670}},
  keywords     = {{dignity; disciplining; history of eldercare; old people’s home; retirement}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{03}},
  publisher    = {{Linkoping University Electronic Press}},
  series       = {{International Journal of Ageing and Later Life}},
  title        = {{A question of dignity? Intersectional perspectives on the establishment of old people’s homes in Sweden at the turn of the 20th century}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.3384/ijal.1652-8670.5709}},
  doi          = {{10.3384/ijal.1652-8670.5709}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}