Giving and Doing: Identity Perceptions and Images of Eldery Women in the Rural Environment

There are few studies concerning the perceptions of elderly individuals living in the Romanian rural environment have regarding their needs, way of life and available resources. We start from the assumption that the status the elderly have in society is not given only by biological and social factors, but also by subjective factors, by the waythey perceive themselves, the way they perceive their own life, family, community. The study is based on four interviews with elderly women living in the rural environment. The paradigm is constructivist. The data was collected through a semi-structured interview, being then analysed and interpreted through a thematic contents analysis.The results highlight the diverse adaptation strategies used by individuals living in the rural environment, depending on their level of education and on their previous line of work: farmer/smallholder and intellectual/teacher. The theories of activity and continuity can be found in the perceptions of elderly farmers. Elderly intellectuals have also gone through a stage of social disengagement. The results underline the fact that each of the elderly individuals interviewed has developed adaptive strategies in accordance to their identity-related image and to their previous career. The research is exploratory, qualitative, and its results could be starting points for studying and capitalising on the resources these individuals have, as well as for developing policies and actions concerning this life stage.