ABSTRACT
After examining the meaning of home and housing in later life, this chapter explores the divisions which exist in housing tenure, conditions and asset levels among older people and how post-growth characteristics such as asset volatility and deregulation contribute to widen such inequalities. It also explores the role of housing and housing wealth in later life, the mechanisms of asset transfer and its implication in post-growth society which is rapidly ageing. The chapter aims to bring housing issues into the area of welfare debate, which is often missing in the Japanese as well as other East Asian policy context. It discusses the diversity and stratification which exist among households with older members in terms of housing tenure, conditions and wealth level. In particular, home ownership is common tenure for married couples, which is in line with the earlier argument regarding different sections of society such as women and younger people.
