Page 93 - IJPS-9-2

International Journal of
Population Studies Active aging and retirement

as to take into account situations and processes that are The TL alternative can be defended as a social policy
relevant, and often indispensable, for a better and broader that focuses on the life course and that is appropriate for
understanding of social realities. our times, on the one hand, because it accommodates the
need for lifelong learning (Alfageme, 2014) and on the
5. Temporary paid leave from work in other, because it confers equal status on the need to do
exchange for delayed retirement (TL) unpaid work, such as domestic or caring tasks, throughout
To illustrate new possibilities for developing policies focused the entire life course (García-Pastor & Viñado, 2013). In
on the life course as a whole, a more recent and concrete summary, TL would give those who have to work to survive
proposal (TL), that is also consistent with the idea of active (the vast majority of people) more freedom to organize
essential aspects of their lives. In this vein, the idea of
aging, is brought up in this study. It consists of giving people
the option to take temporary periods of voluntary paid exit temporary exit as a partial or total alternative to retirement
from work throughout the life course, in exchange for a has been argued on philosophical and sociological grounds
(Seguí-Cosme & Alfageme, 2008; Alfageme, 2009) and
proportional delay in the age of retirement, once the person
has worked for a certain number of years to accumulate has been defended as a suitable alternative to tackle the
social security contributions (8 – 10 years in paid work, processes of ageism and sexism (Alfageme et al., 2012).
for example, would entitle the worker to a maximum of 2 More recently, the TL proposal was evaluated using
or 3 years of paid temporary exit). Rather than a “cut,” this a variation of the Delphi method, involving a group of
should be regarded as an alternative to early retirement, Spanish experts from the general social sciences and the
or to retirement when the person still enjoys good health sociology of aging in particular (Alfageme et al., 2014).
and is capable of living a full life (Alfageme et al., 2019). The most widespread opinion among these experts was
The more flexible and egalitarian character of this proposal that entitlement to periods of paid temporary exit from
would lead to a new life-course structure (Figure 2), in work throughout the life course would be especially
contrast to the traditional structure (Figure 1). justified for caring or training activities – as long as it was
voluntarily – and that it should have a moderate effect on
The disability-free life expectancy in most European retirement. This latter point is particularly pertinent, given
countries is approximately 70 – 75 years of age (see that a more radical TL proposal has been mooted based
website EurOhex. Advanced research on European health on three points: abolition of retirement, setting temporary
expectancies: http://www.ehemu.eu/). During this stage exit periods corresponding to periods of paid work (2 or
between retirement and old age, also known as the 3 years for every ten worked, for example) throughout
midcourse stage (Moen, 2006), most people are able to lead the life course, and careful regulation taking into account
an active life in every sense including doing paid work. It permanent disability allowances (Alfageme et al., 2012).
seems very reasonable to anticipate working up to the age This proposal, however, appears to be unfeasible due to the
of 70 – 75 years old given the general state of health and deep-rooted cultural and institutional hold that retirement
capabilities of most European citizens around those ages. has, even among experts in the sociology of aging who are
Individual choices are conditioned by organizational undoubtedly aware of the arbitrariness of the retirement
culture and policies (Bobbitt-Zeher, 2011). In this vein, TL age and the risk of social exclusion brought on by forced
differs substantially from other social policy advances in retirement from paid work (Alfageme et al., 2014). For this
the European Union aimed to improve work-life balance, reason, it could be appropriate to consider a more moderate
such as paid maternity leave or benefits for families or proposal of, for example, an approximate period of 5 years
carers. These policies provide direct recompense for the of temporary exit from work to be taken throughout the
work they entail (caring for dependent people, mainly years of active employment, with a corresponding delay in
children), whereas TL is conceived as an employment retirement.
right (symbolically still more closely associated with men),
which, thus, facilitates more equal access to work and 6. Conclusion
recognizes the existence of another, equally necessary, and By way of conclusion, it is affirmed that the proposal for
type of work (unpaid domestic and care work). TL in exchange for delaying retirement can be considered
interesting not so much for what it solves, but for what
it opens up. Research should provide the basis for
other alternatives or variations that will depend on the
characteristics or peculiarities of different societies and
Figure 2. The basic structure of the emerging life course welfare state models.

Volume 9 Issue 2 (2023) 87 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.482