Understanding the intersectional stigma of ageing, disability, and place: a systematic literature mapping review

Abstract

Stigma is a key concept for social scientists interested in how certain groups in society are judged and treated negatively. Within housing studies this scholarship reflects longstanding interests within the discipline regarding the spatial impacts of social and urban policies on both people, and the places in which they live. We augment these debates by advocating for a more intersectional understanding of how stigma is shaped by identity. It presents findings from a systematic literature mapping review of research that has a combined focus on ageing, disability, place, and stigma across OECD countries. Given global trends around ageing populations and the impacts for health, this is an important, but often neglected aspect to stigma research. Our review highlights the advantages of combining a spatial approach to stigma with intersectional insights foregrounded in age and disability. This includes the further development of stigma as a concept from the perspective of under-represented groups: older and disabled people.