Page 92 - IJPS-9-2

International Journal of
Population Studies Active aging and retirement

retirement, differences that, in turn, are relevant when (Blossfeld et al., 2014; Lee & Desjardins, 2019). These
designing employment and pension policies (Ginn & Arber, studies lend support to the demand for equality policies
1996). In this line, according to one study, men’s quality of that ensure greater access to education and training for
life at advanced ages is more closely related to a previous adults (in terms of resources, accessibility, and motivation)
regular employment path and late retirement, whereas, in in more disadvantaged sectors of society (Kilpi-Jakonen
the case of women, it is linked to more diverse employment et al., 2015).
and domestic work experiences (Wahrendorf, 2014). The complexity of adult lifelong learning participation

The life course perspective is grounded on theoretical is painstakingly examined by Boeren (2017), who points
bases that usually address both gender policies and aging out the need to distinguish between the micro level
policies, a relatively infrequent concurrence. Indeed, (differences between adults), the meso level (education
the gender literature does not generally have in-depth and training providers), and the macro level (country
knowledge of studies on aging, nor does it question, for variation), with the understanding that these three levels
example, the institution of retirement. Similarly, aging are interrelated and that each one operates as a necessary,
studies do not usually examine gender questions in but insufficient, condition for adult participation in
previous life stages. education. For example, the measures implemented by
universities (such as distance education programs, access
4. The growing need for lifelong education opportunities for adults, or university programs for older
In addition to caring for other people, education is another adults) are found at the meso level, whereas more general
area of activity that is just as essential as paid employment; life-course policies, which affect the spheres of both
for them to be carried out effectively and in an egalitarian education and care, correspond to the macro level.
way, new policies are necessary, preferably designed from The need for periods away from paid work to undertake
the life-course perspective. The need for such policies is other unpaid tasks has been recognized by the European
better understood and justified if both these spheres of Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working
activity are taken into consideration. Conditions (Eurofound), among others: in a context of

As regards the field of education, there is no doubt structural change, in which the stages of education and
that the level of formal education achieved in the early retirement are becoming longer and the stages of paid
stages of life is decisive in most cases and has far-reaching work are shrinking, there is a growing recognition of the
implications for personal and social development need to establish parallel periods of work and non-work,
opportunities, particularly in the labor market. Indeed, it is whether for family reasons, for training to prepare for a
highly recommended that lifelong learning research takes second or third career or other purposes; these changes,
into account inequalities in access to formal education in turn, would involve prolonged employment activity at
among adults. As well as the extent of participation in more advanced ages (Naegele et al., 2003). In addition, and
education, the social profile of participants, and the bearing in mind the current demographic trends, proposals
inequalities generated in adult education are also of interest have also been made to redistribute work throughout the
to academics and policymakers (Rubenson, 2018). The life course, especially in later life; this would be feasible
life-course perspective offers a realistic viewpoint that can if part-time work was extended both before and after
guide egalitarian policies since it can be applied to identify current official retirement ages and would also allow young
individuals or groups disadvantaged for reasons related to adults to devote more time to conceiving and raising their
the life stage in which their disadvantage arises (Crosnoe & children (Vaupel & Loichinger, 2006).
Benner, 2016; McDaniel & Bernard, 2012). The individuals Based on these considerations, it seems clear that
and families that most need an income from paid work are aging policies increasingly tend to merge with life-course
those who in practice have fewer opportunities to access policies. What Marshall (2001) said a few years ago
formal learning throughout the life course; this, in turn, still make sense today: “… there is a wealth of research
can be understood as part of the well-known tendency knowledge – and also, increasingly, policy development
to accumulate advantages and disadvantages over the – around issues such as education, the transition from
life course (Dannefer, 2018; Mortimer & Moen, 2016). education to initial employment, and problems of youth
In the area of education and training, this tendency has unemployment; and there is a large literature on retirement
been documented in, for example, the United Kingdom itself and on the transition from paid employment to full
(Bukodi, 2017), Catalonia (Miret & Vono, 2015), or more retirement. But rarely is it recognized that such age- or
generally, in comparative studies of various Organization stage-specific phenomena are linked.” At the same time,
for Economic Co-operation and Development countries the gender perspective must be included in every case so

Volume 9 Issue 2 (2023) 86 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.482