Ageing, Poverty and Agency: Reconceptualising Resistance to Poverty among Older Adults.

This article examines the agency and coping strategies of older adults living in poverty in Israel, expanding on Ruth Lister's model of agency in poverty, which primarily addresses working-age individuals. Through qualitative interviews with twenty-seven older adults, the study finds that participants predominantly engage in "getting by" strategies—everyday survival tactics—while facing significant structural and age-related barriers that limit their ability to "get out," "get organized," or "get (back) at" poverty politically or strategically. The authors propose an expanded theoretical framework of agency that includes both the individual and their social circles (family, community, social services) as the operational unit, emphasizing the importance of recognizing dependency as normative in older age and advocating for social policies that support older adults' autonomy within their capabilities. The findings highlight implications for social work practice and policy, particularly the need to address ageism and structural obstacles to economic justice for older adults living in poverty.