The influence of gender and class on the transition to retirement

A longitudinal qualitative study on Italian older workers' experiences

Bibliographic Data

ID3533896
AuthorsClaudia Di Matteo (0000-0001-6504-2082, Centre for Socio-Economic Research on Aging, IRCCS INRCA – National Institute of Health and Science on Aging, Italy; School of Social Work, Faculty of Social Sciences, Lund University, Sweden), Marco Socci (0000-0001-9093-2167, corresponding author), Sara Santini (0000-0003-4705-4631), Barbara D’amen (0000-0002-8986-5216, Centre for Socio-Economic Research on Aging, IRCCS INRCA – National Institute of Health and Science on Aging, Italy)
Year2022
Volume70
Issue3
Pages506-525
Publication date2022-05-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueThe Sociological Review (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0038-0261 • E-ISSN: 1467-954X
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/00380261211068595
OpenAlexW4214883124
LanguageEN
Citations received4
References cited34

The aim of this study is the reconstruction of the multifaceted points of view related to the transition from work to retirement using a gender perspective. This article includes 40 interviews of ageing Italian workers, 24 women and 16 men, carried out in the cusp of retirement (wave 1) and two years after retirement (wave 3). The experiences related to the 'decision to retire' and 'life after retirement' were analysed using a complex theoretical framework based on the work of Bourdieu combined with the concept of gendered habitus developed by feminists' theorizations. The findings identified the elements characterizing women's narratives in such a way that it was possible to describe the ambivalent women's positions embedded in the Italian socio-economic context. The voices of the participants were taken as case examples to draw attention to the critical nature of personal gendered identities, which are mostly influenced by structural conditions related to a particular welfare regime (e.g. work and retirement policies) aiming to fix normative behaviours in later life. Nevertheless, the gendered habitus, as an expression of inner discourses, illustrates at the same time the nature of both constraints and freedom possessed by the respondents. We conclude by pointing out the importance of reflexive social approaches applied to the study of gender inequalities in later life

Ambivalence · Context (archaeology) · Cultural capital · Epistemology · Habitus · Life course approach · Normative · Perspective (graphical) · Reflexivity · Social science · Sociology · Employment and Welfare Studies · Gender Studies · Psychology · Retirement, Disability, and Employment · Social Psychology · Youth Education and Societal Dynamics

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