International journal for equity in health
Gendered forms of intergenerational solidarity in the COVID-19 pandemic: an intersectional perspective on the public renegotiation of a moral resource for future health crises in Germany
By Boser EK, Dörmann L and Ellerich-Groppe N.
Abstract
Background
During the COVID-19 pandemic, 'intergenerational solidarity' became a prominent buzzword in public debates. At the same time, a resurge of ageist stereotypes could be observed that proved to be a constant structuring element in the public renegotiation of intergenerational solidarity. Despite a growing body of research indicating that the COVID-19 pandemic also had a significant impact on inequalities related to other social categories, such as gender, the interplay between appeals for intergenerational solidarity and other social inequalities in public debates has received limited attention.
Methods
To examine how appeals to intergenerational solidarity and gender-related aspects are intertwined in times of crisis, we provide an intersectional perspective on the public renegotiation of intergenerational solidarity during the COVID-19 pandemic, using the example of the German media debate. Based on a qualitative content analysis of articles from two major German weekly newspapers, Die Zeit and Welt am Sonntag, published between March 2020 and June 2022 (n = 351), we identified two paradigmatic cases for an intersectional in-depth-analysis, focusing primarily on the categorial intersection of age and gender within the material.