Chapter 10 & 11 Flashcards
How have baby boomers impacted work and retirement patterns?
They’ve experienced economic/pension losses, leading to:
Delayed workforce transitions
Changed meaning of work/nature of careers
Longer work lives for economic security
How have work trajectories shifted since the 1980s?
Less secure/complex due to:
Delayed entry for youth
Unemployment/job changes
Older workers staying longer (labor shortages, smaller pensions)
Key trends in the labor force
More educated & older workers
Early 1990s retirement trend reversed (now working past 65)
Baby boomers impact pensions/labor market
How have women’s work histories evolved?
Increased education/labor participation
Still linked to family caregiving (“double burden”)
Earn less, fewer pensions, clustered in service jobs
What shapes retirement?
Institutionally: Social security, industrialization
Individually: Health, wealth, voluntary vs. forced exit
New retirement: Blurred work-retirement transitions
How does retirement differ for women?
Fewer resources due to:
Discontinuous work history (caregiving)
Lower lifetime earnings
Timing influenced by marital status/partner’s retirement
What aids retirement adjustment?
Good health/wealth, voluntary exit, social support
Risks: Unstable exits (bridge jobs), identity loss
How is economic security achieved?
Public: OAS, GIS, CPP/QPP
Private: Pensions (40% coverage), RRSPs
Inequality: Cumulative disadvantage, feminization of poverty
social participation
involvement in social/ leisure activities
social capital
community trust/ cohesion from participation
social networks
web of relationships
differences between loneliness and isolation
Loneliness: Subjective distress from lacking relationships
Isolation: Objective lack of connections
at risk are poor health, women, and immigrants
why is social participation critical?
Mental/physical health, life satisfaction
Mitigates isolation (vulnerable groups: LGBTQ+, rural seniors)
What limits social engagement?
Individual: Poor health, low income
Structural: Ageism, unsafe neighborhoods, lack of programs
types of social exclusion
Meaningful social relations
Material resources
Civic activities
Basic services
Geographic (rural isolation)
Cultural (ageism)
LGBTQ+/immigrant exclusion
why do older adults volunteer?
For generativity (Erikson), social contact, identity.
Barriers: Burnout, safety concerns, fewer recruits.
How does leisure change with age?
Focus shifts to “core” meaningful activities (socio-emotional selectivity theory).
OAS/GIS (old age security) (Guaranteed Income Supplement) what are they?
Gov’t transfers for low-income seniors.
CPP and QPP what are they? (Canada Pension Plan, Quebec Pension Plan)
Earnings-based pension (max $1,253/month).
TIOW meaning (Targeted Initiative for Older Workers)
Helps unemployed older workers re-enter labor force.
What is the difference between social isolation and loneliness?
Social Isolation → Objective lack of social connections (few relationships, minimal interaction).
Isolation = Measurable (e.g., living alone, no visits).
Loneliness → Subjective feeling of distress from unmet social needs (can occur even with many contacts).
Loneliness = Emotional (e.g., feeling empty despite friends).
traditional vs new retirement transitions
traditional:
- clear end of work at 65, defined by pensions, one time event, leisure focused
new:
- blurred exit, driven by necessity, work-leisure hybrid
new retirement is flexible and individualized, shaped by economic pressures and longer lifespans
