Yaşlılıkta Kırılganlık: Risk Toplumu, Bakım Düzeni ve Yapısal Belirleyiciler

Abstract

Yaşlılık dönemi, bireylerin biyolojik değişimlerin yanı sıra ekonomik, toplumsal ve kurumsal koşullarla şekillenen çok boyutlu kırılganlıklarla karşı karşıya kaldıkları bir evredir. Yaşlılıkta kırılganlık, yalnızca bireysel sınırların değil, aynı zamanda toplumun kaynakları nasıl dağıttığının ve kurumların nasıl işlediğinin bir yansımasıdır. Gelir güvencesizliği, bakım yükünün adaletsiz paylaşımı ve sosyal bağların zayıflaması, yaşlı bireylerin yaşam kalitesini doğrudan etkileyen başlıca unsurlar arasında yer alır. Dolayısıyla yaşlılık, bireysel bir yaşam evresinden öte, toplumsal eşitsizliklerin en açık biçimde görünür hale geldiği bir süreçtir. Bu çalışma, yaşlılıkta kırılganlığı bireysel kısıtlarının ötesinde; risklerin toplumsal üretimi ve bakım düzenindeki yapısal eşitsizlikler çerçevesinde ele almaktadır. Çalışma, kırılganlığı yalnızca sağlık ve tıbbi boyutlarla sınırlı görmeyip, toplumsal ve kurumsal mekanizmalarla bağlantılı çok katmanlı bir süreç olarak kavramsallaştırmaktadır. Literatür taramasına dayanan bu çalışma; ekonomik kırılganlık ve yoksulluk, toplumsal cinsiyet ve bakım yükü ve sosyal dışlanma ve yalnızlık olmak üzere üç temel ekseni incelemektedir. Bulgular, piyasa ağırlıklı bakım düzeninin bu eksenlerle kesişerek kırılganlığı derinleştirdiğini göstermektedir. Böylece yaşlılıkta kırılganlık, bireysel bir yaşam evresinden öte, toplumsal kurumların işleyişi ve eşitsizliklerin dağılımıyla şekillenen yapısal bir olgu olarak tanımlanmaktadır.

Keywords

• Yaşlanma
• Kırılganlık
• Risk toplumu
• Yoksulluk
• Bakım
• Sosyal dışlanma

Vulnerability in Old Age: Risk Society, Care Regime and Structural Determinants

Abstract

Aging is a period in which individuals face multidimensional vulnerabilities shaped by biological changes as well as economic, social, and institutional conditions. Vulnerability in old age is a reflection not only of individual limitations but also of how society distributes resources and how institutions function. Income insecurity, the unequal distribution of care burdens, and the weakening of social ties are among the primary factors that directly impact the quality of life of older individuals. Therefore, aging is more than just an individual life stage; it is a process in which social inequalities become most clearly visible. This study examines vulnerability in old age beyond individual limitations within the framework of the social production of risks and structural inequalities in caregiving. The study conceptualizes vulnerability not only as limited to health and medical dimensions but also as a multilayered process linked to social and institutional mechanisms. Drawing on a literature review, the analysis focuses on three fundamental axes: economic vulnerability and poverty, gender and care burden, and social exclusion and loneliness. The findings demonstrate that the market-oriented care system intersects with these axes, deepening vulnerability. Thus, vulnerability in old age is defined as a structural phenomenon shaped by functioning social institutions and the distribution of inequalities.

Keywords

• Aging
• Vulnerability
• Risk society
• Poverty
• Care
• Social exclusion

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