Advancing Active Aging in China: A Scoping Review and Critical Analysis of Policy Documents.

Abstract

Population aging constitutes a significant global challenge, prompting nations to implement aging frameworks. This scoping review utilizes grounded theory analysis to systematically examine 48 central and local policy documents concerning China's reemployment policies for older adults. The findings identify a "state-led incremental empowerment" model of older adult employment and contribute to theoretical understanding in three principal ways. First, the study illustrates the institutionalization of labor-market dualism, in which older workers are activated but remain legally marginalized. Second, the framework situates security within a legally codified "family-first, state-supplement" model. Through a feminist political economy perspective, the research identifies an implicit assumption of the unencumbered older worker, which theoretically obscures the active-aging care gap. The study further suggests that specific global active aging frameworks are selectively appropriated to serve state economic objectives rather than universal rights, thereby establishing a critical foundation for equitable policy reform.