Trends and gender associations in social exclusion in older adults in Sweden over two decades

•There are reduced levels of exclusion from material resources and services.•Women experience higher levels of exclusion from material resources than men.•Women experience higher levels of exclusion from civic participation than men.•Most older adults did not have the ability to deal with public authorities. Social exclusion in older adults is associated with lower well-being and poorer health. To date there has been little research on whether the level of social exclusion in older adults changes over time, and its association with gender. To examine trends and gender associations in social exclusion indicators in older adults for the years 1992, 2002 and 2011. Three waves of data from the Swedish Panel Study of Living Conditions of the Oldest Old (SWEOLD), a national survey of adults aged 77 years or older, were analysed: 1992 (n = 537), 2002 (n = 621), and 2011 (n = 904). Summative scales were created for four domains of social exclusion: material resources, social relations and leisure activities, civic participation, and services. Associations between gender and social exclusion within waves were examined as were trends in social exclusion across years. The analyses of trends found significant reductions in exclusion in the domains of material resources and services. Higher levels of exclusion from material resources and civic participation were found in women than men. Within domains, significant trends and gender associations in exclusion were found on several indicators, with indicators showing opposing trends. Although levels of social exclusion have reduced in certain domains during the years examined, our results reflect the persistence of social exclusion in the population of older adults. This underlines the continuing importance of a well-developed welfare and social security system to ensure the social inclusion of vulnerable groups such as older adults.