ABSTRACT
Decreased fertility rates and increased longevity have led to a significant ageing of industrialized country populations (WHO 2002). Many countries now have an unprecedented proportion living within what Laslett (1989) has termed the third age–which is associated with older adulthood and (typically) characterized by a reduction of employment and social responsibilities. Age-categorizing the third age has limitations (Findsen 2005) but following Jarvis (2001) this chapter will utilize a definition of 50–74 years of age. Education can play an important role in productive ageing (Findsen 2005; Jarvis 2001; Narushima 2008; Purdie and Boulton-Lewis 2003) and the concept of lifelong learning is increasingly a component of governmental positive-ageing strategies (McNair 2009a). McNair (2009b) reviewed the UK research literature and identified that third-age adults (re)entered education for three broad purposes: the development of identity capital, human capital and social capital. Identity capital entails maintaining a sense of enjoyment and interest, constructing meaning in life and developing self-esteem; human capital is the ability to contribute to the paid and unpaid economy; social capital is commonly interpreted as social networking and the capacity to live as a contributing member of the community. None of these forms of capital is non-contentious; beneath the surface are multiple types of masculinity, and masculine identity is fluid and contested (Archer et al.2001).
