Page 91 - IJPS-9-2

International Journal of
Population Studies Active aging and retirement

structure of the life course can be considered outdated are job satisfaction among their older employees and facilitate
first discussed in this paper: it is ageist, androcentric, and longer working lives (Visser et al., 2020). In this vein,
does not facilitate lifelong learning. Last but not least, the several studies have concluded that if there is a real will to
suitability of temporary leave (TL) from work throughout enable older people to continue working, real opportunities
the life course as an alternative to age-based retirement is must be provided and more flexible work and retirement
discussed for illustrative purposes. regulations and better working conditions must be agreed
on (Hofäcker, 2015; Virtanen et al., 2021; Sacco et al., 2021;
2. Retirement, ageism, and active aging Böckerman & Ilmakunnas, 2020).
Ideally, retirement would coincide with old age or being The more radical and perhaps clearer statement
older. However, the differentiation of this life stage is regarding the logical extension of anti-ageism policies
contentious. A fixed retirement age cannot be justified would be, according to Walker (2002), “… the abolition of
because it will always be an ageist simplification of reality. mandatory retirement ages (because age barrier retirement
A recent systematic review of empirical research concluded is age-discriminatory, and uniform pension ages make no
that ageism is manifested in multiple aspects of life, such sense in an era of diversity) and to have, instead, minimum
as in the hiring process, employability, and performance pension ages. […] (a flexible decade of retirement is one
evaluation of older workers (Cebola et al., 2021). possible model).” Walker also advocates a society for all
ages through an active aging strategy focused on the life
At this point, it seems pertinent to dismantle some of
what are probably the most deeply rooted prejudices about course as a whole.
older people’s capacity and willingness to work. Working 3. The traditional androcentric structure of
until an advanced age helps most people to maintain the life course
their levels of general well-being. This should come as no
surprise to those who, without going into the retirement It must be taken into account that the traditional three-
debate, advocate “active” aging. This concept needs to be stage life course (education, work, and retirement)
properly understood since it involves creating a wider depends on the centrality of paid work, which, in turn, is
range of opportunities and facilities that do not exclude based on the sexual division of labor in the broadest sense
people who find themselves in situations of severe fragility (paid or otherwise), instituted since the industrialization
or dependency (Walker, 2002; Walker & Maltby, 2012; of societies. This sexual division of labor entails different
Boudiny, 2013) and who, therefore, are quite understandably basic life-course structures for men and women, which is
retired, or in the same way, those who are entitled to retire therefore both ageist and sexist (Figure 1).
and simply prefer to do so and claim their pension. From both the material and symbolic points of view, the

On the other hand, the fact that retirement is perceived social organization of time and labor undervalues unpaid
as a chosen option, as opposed to an obligatory course work, despite it being just as essential as paid work, and
of action, has a profound influence on people’s levels of those who perform it, most of whom are women (Carrasco
psychological satisfaction (Radó & Boissonneault, 2020). et al., 2011). The proven relevance of gender and family
Issues of gender also arise here, since this perception seems circumstances in any analysis of relationships between
to have a greater effect on men than on women (Nordenmark retirement processes and psychological welfare (Kim &
& Stattin, 2009). However, the relationship between health Moen, 2002; Coursolle et al., 2010) is highly illustrative.
and retirement is complex and bidirectional, and research in Gender issues influence retirement processes, although
the field is inconclusive (Oksanen & Virtanen, 2012; Silver the relationship is complex due to the way they interact
et al., 2020). The research on older workers suggests that the with questions of social class, for instance (Radl, 2013). To
relationships between attitudes and practices are complex, understand this properly, it is important not to consider
and identifies the need for employment policies that do not the transition to retirement exclusively in terms of typically
discriminate against older people, and that take account male career paths (Loretto & Vickerstaff, 2015). For several
of individual capabilities and not age-based stereotypes years, now, there has been evidence of notable differences
between women’s and men’s attitudes to employment and
(Brooke & Taylor, 2005; Loretto & White, 2006). One good
example is the Age Barriers Project, involving various
European countries, which showed that good practice is
possible in the form of, for example, lifelong training and
education policies (Walker, 2002). More recent studies
also conclude that providing training to older workers is a
fruitful human resource strategy for employers to stimulate Figure 1. The basic structure of the traditional life course

Volume 9 Issue 2 (2023) 85 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.482