Abstract
In a society faced with rapid aging and extended life expectancy, older persons in Singapore are just beginning to see retirement as a new era in their lives that can be quite different from the later life experiences of their own parents. Presenting an ethnographic case study of one of the first retiree activity centers in Singapore, this article will examine (a) how older persons cope with retirement, social, and cultural norms, and (b) the strategies older adults adopt in order to stay relevant in a fast-paced society. The ethnographic study shows that extrafamilial social support and opportunities for new experiences in learning and leisure contribute significantly to positive and active living in old age. Although the discussion of aging in Asia usually focuses on the problems of health, finances, and caregiving, the present study suggests the need for policy makers to pay equal attention to issues such as activity participation in old age. Participation in leisure activities may act as a preventive measure to delay the onset of aging-related problems, while at the same time enhancing life satisfaction among seniors.
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Notes
This cultural concept of old age among the Chinese, in which traditionally the aged “are not to be bothered with the details of daily life” is described as de facto retirement by Levy (1949, p. 128–129).
The population aged 65 and older has seen a gradual increase before the 1990s. After which, the proportion is expected to rise rapidly, from 7% in 1998 to 19% in 2030 (One reason relating to the aging of the population is higher life expectancy. Life expectancy at birth in Singapore has increased from 65 and 63 for women and men, respectively, in 1957 to 81.6 and 77.9 for women and men, respectively, in 2005. Department of Statistics, 2006).
“Spring RAC” is a pseudonym for the field site. This study engages qualitative methods such as participant observation and formal and informal interviews with the regular members, casual members, and administrators. Fieldwork was conducted from 1999 to 2001, and a follow-up was conducted in June 2003.
Community development councils are local district administrations responsible for planning and managing community programs. There are five community development councils in the whole of Singapore. Community clubs/centers serve as a nexus connecting the State and the people in terms of dissemination of information and provision of services and programs to residents. There are 111 community clubs/centers dotting the island.
Spring RAC employed a full-time administrator to run the center until April 2003, when funding for the center was heavily cut. Since April 2003, the administrator has been running the Spring RAC part time after being transferred to another center.
Out of the 30 regular members, 25 are attendees who pay a full monthly fee of S$80–$100 a month (members who have joined since 2002 pay S$100 per month), whereas the remaining five members come only on certain days for specific activities and pay a day rate of S$7.
Most community clubs have a senior citizen club run by the staff of community club/center. However, most of these centers only organize occasional outings or other activities.
Serious leisure requires commitment, obligation expressed by regimentation (practice, rehearsal), and systematization (e.g., scheduling and organization; Stebbins, 1992, p. 9).
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Acknowledgments
This project received funding from National University of Singapore Research Fund R112000012. An earlier draft of this article was presented at the XV International Congress of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences (ICAES), July 5–12, 2003, in Florence, Italy. The author is especially grateful to Maria Cattell for comments on an earlier draft.
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Thang, L.L. Experiencing Leisure in Later Life: A Study of Retirees and Activity in Singapore. J Cross Cult Gerontol 20, 307–318 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10823-006-9010-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10823-006-9010-6