Work, Retirement & Health Flashcards
Work in the Micro level
Enter/stay in labour force (LF)
Have children & return to LF (for women)
Work in the Meso level
Work-family policy:
(maternal/paternal leave)Labour market condition
Work in the Macro level
Gov’t policy
Globalization
Economy
Retirement in the Micro level
Timing; when to retire?
Partner’s situation
Enough income to retire? Retire due to health reasons
Retirement in the Meso level
Incentives through work to stay/leave?
Retirement in the Macro level
Economy
Political climate
Social norm (65+)
Health & Care after Retirement in the Micro level
Individuals’ strategies (preventative steps)
Health & Care after Retirement in the Meso level
Work-based health benefits
Health & Care after Retirement in the Macro level
State-funded health benefits
The Life Course Perspective
- building biographies through decisions (work – health)
- linked lives (e.g., relationship – health)
Political economy, critical & feminist perspectives
- institutionalization of retirement and pensions as expected transition of old age ($ - health)
- Gender: different life course of work → consequences for pensions & retirement for ♀ and ♂health
Activity & disengagement theories
successful retirement (physical, mental and social health)
What is the traditional view of the LC trajectory?
- education
- work
- retirement
What is an issue with the LC perspective?
- it’s outdated and doesn’t reflect the current times
What are some work history influences?
- income and savings; economic security
- living environment and neighbourhood
- social status, lifestyle
- all effect health
- cumulative advantage/disadvantage of these factors
Work and Health at the Micro-level
- Individuals construct work histories
- Motivations for working ($, interest)
- Employment status (full-, part-time; unpaid work at home)
- Where they work (commute, over-sea?)
- Upgrading skills: education (life transition) – not for everyone (e.g., disability)
Balancing work & personal lives/family - Linked lives (e.g., caregiving responsibility)
Work and Health at the Meso-level
- Workplace conditions
- Opportunities for advancement – stress ? health benefits ?
- Work-based policies
- Unequal access to benefits
- Full vs part-time
- Structured social relations including age (seniority in union jobs)
- Family policies
Work and Health at the Macro-level
- Workplaces operate in macro-level context
- Gender relations: inequality or egalitarianism
- E.g., poor economy, globalization → cost-cutting (organizational restructuring-> economic insecurity-> mental & physical health)
Gender, Work and Health
- marital status matters
- the gap between men and women in the workforce is closing
Trends in LFP over time show
- increase in LFP of women of all ages except old (65+)
- increased LFP of women means majority of middle-aged women in LF who will eventually retire
- Work on retirement must include women’s experience as retirees, not only as partners
Variation in work histories
- Disparities affect financial security in later life
- Inequalities prior to retirement have cumulative effects
- Cumulative advantage/disadvantage in health
Multiple meanings of retirement
- Social institution (arrangement)
- Life Transition
- Social role, status (‘retiree’)
Individual pathways of retirement
- Exits blurred; some individuals re-enter LF after initial retirement
- Bridge employment: jobs held after retirement from career job
- Decision to leave workplace
- voluntary or involuntary? (health, caregiving responsibility)
- linked lives (influence of others; gendered)
Retirement at the Micro-level
- Individual responsibility?
- Disengagement, activity, & continuity theories emphasize individual responsibility for good retirement (slow down, keep active)
- Retirement generally a good experience
- For many, not working = relief from unsatisfying work
- For many, work of another kind continues
- Unpaid work at home; volunteer work
Is retirement linked to meso and macro levels?
Main factors contributing to a good retirement: wealth & health
Retirement at the Meso and Macro-level
- Institutional arrangements due to economy:
- Company/firm reaction to downturn, globalization?
- Lay-offs? Incentive programs for early retirement?
- retirement planning programs ?
- phased retirement an option?
- Nature of work affects retirement (push to retire; age factor, less productive perceived)
Push factors for the timing of retirement
- poor health
- poor job conditions
- poor labour market conditions (e.g., unemployed; difficulty in re-entering LF - ageism)
Pull factors for the timing of retirement
- family care
- spouse retired
- individual desire to retire
- financial security-> pensions
Being old doesn’t mean…
you’re going to be isolated and lonely
Social Isolation
- objective definition
- situations where a person does not have enough people to interact with
Loneliness
- subjective feeling that is manifested
- an individual’s experience of distress over not having enough social relationships or not enough contact with people
Health effects of loneliness
heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, depression
Different definitions of “social isolation”
- A lack of contact or sustained interaction with individuals
- A lack of quantity and quality of social contacts
- A lack of meaningful social networks
- A lack of an individual’s engagement in an interactive web of key relationships within communities
- The distancing of an individual, psychologically or physically or both, from his or her networks of desired or needed relationships with other persons
The degree to which individuals are embedded within different social networks
A sense of belonging
Why does sense of belonging tend to decline with age?
- (e.g., frequency of contact, size)
- Less participation
- Failure of social integration? (bias)
The effect of social integration/participation on the micro, meso and macro level?
- civic engagement (e.g., social activists)
- community volunteer work
- religious activities
- family support (e.g., child care for adult children)
What decreases through the life course transitions?
- Retirement
- Declining health
- Bereavement (social isolation)
What increases through other transitions?
- Widowhood
- reaching out to others
- Labour market re-entry
Macro-level analysis of social integration and participation
- attention to: social inclusion vs. exclusion
- Who is included, who is excluded and why?
- Social policy issues
Economic Exclusion
- lower incomes after retirement, poverty
- risk of being socially excluded
Civic (political participation) Exclusion
whether individuals are empowered to and can participate in political and organizational decisions
Exclusion from Daily Basic Services
cutbacks in publicly funded services
Exclusion from Urban Planning
non-age-friendly urban planning, unaffordable housing
Creating age-friendly cities
- The Case Study: The City of Manchester, UK
- self-empowerment among the elderly
- collective agency
- fighting for social inclusion
Promoting the Well-being of the Elderly
- Creating meaningful social relations among the elderly
- various needs
- health issues (physical, mental and social)
- Diversity & inequalities among the elderly
An intersectionality approach takes what into consideration?
- intersecting structured power relations of age, gender, race/ethnicity, social class, sexual orientation
Social Exclusion of Elderly LGBT
- Discrimination against LGBT within retirement facilities
- Social stigma
- Going back to the closet?
Challenges faced by older immigrants in Canada
- Language Barriers
- Ethnic & Racial Discrimination
- Accessing formal services (e.g., health care)
- segregation, isolation
What needs to be done?
- Micro-level social network (interpersonal interaction)
- Meso-level involvement in the local communities
- Macro-level socio-cultural embeddedness (in social programs & policies)
