Aging in place or relocating?: Older adults’ housing decisions in Taiwan and Finland

Abstract

Background and Objectives Taiwan and Finland represent contrasting welfare and cultural contexts—familialist–market and universalist models—yet both face demographic shifts, changing family formations, and evolving housing needs in later life. This study explores how older adults in these contexts navigate decisions to age in place or relocate, using Clapham’s (2005) housing pathways framework to analyze the roles of personal control, identity, social support, and inequality. Research Design and Methods This qualitative study draws on in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 42 participants in Taiwan (aged 65–93) and 40 in Finland (aged 57–92). Data were analyzed abductively through thematic analysis. Results In Taiwan, personal control was relational, rooted in intergenerational reciprocity, ancestral property ties, and gendered caregiving norms; in Finland, it was individual, supported by anticipatory planning and accessible housing. Taiwanese identity was place-based, while Finnish identity was community-built, often after relocation. Social support in Taiwan centered on kin and neighborhood networks, with migrant care workers supplementing gaps; in Finland, communal housing fostered peer reciprocity alongside formal services and adult children. Inequalities were shaped by financial constraints and limited public provision in Taiwan, and by residual access gaps in Finland. Discussion and Implications Housing decisions were not purely individual choices but negotiated within structural, cultural, and relational contexts. Policies should move beyond promoting aging in place as default, instead enabling it as an empowered choice. Expanding affordable, accessible housing and community services in Taiwan and sustaining inclusive, service-integrated housing in Finland are key to supporting diverse later-life housing pathways.