Why older rural women in Ireland want to work

It's not all about the money

Bibliographic Data

ID11202156
AuthorsAlison Herbert (0000-0002-4024-390X, Ollscoil na Gaillimhe – University of Galway, corresponding author)
Year2023
Volume43
Issue8
Pages1810-1832
Publication date2023-08-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueAgeing and Society (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0144-686X • E-ISSN: 1469-1779
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s0144686x21001501
OpenAlexW3213518253
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited60

This paper extends our understanding of employment and gendered rural ageing by examining the latent benefits of paid work for mid-life women in rural Ireland. Existing social gerontology literature deals extensively with manifest financial reasons to work, consequences of gendered pay and pension inequalities, work-related health concerns and the negative impacts to an extended working life for women. However, there is much less focus on the latent non-financial positive contributions that work provides for the older woman, especially within a rural context. Findings from this study show how mid-life women, even if in lower-paid, precarious work or in poorer health may choose to continue working into older age. Paid work provides not only financial autonomy, but also temporal structure, life purpose, personal agency, social connectivity and a self-identity that most women are reluctant to relinquish to retirement. Meaningful work plays a critical role in the ageing experience of older rural women. A qualitative study of 25 women aged 45–65 in Connemara, Ireland was undertaken from a lifecourse perspective and analysed using constructivist grounded theory to allow rich, novel narrative to emerge. Narrative from seven, who best represent all participants, are utilised in this paper. Conclusions suggest that the latent benefits of paid work are at least as, if not more important than financial gain for rural mid-life women

Agency (philosophy) · Autonomy · Context (archaeology) · Geography · Grounded theory · Identity (music) · Inequality · Life course approach · Narrative · Narrative inquiry · Political science · Qualitative research · Rural area · Social science · Sociology · Work (physics) · Work–life balance · Gender Studies · Migration, Aging, and Tourism Studies · Psychology · Retirement, Disability, and Employment · Rural development and sustainability · Social Psychology

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