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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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'Planning for uncertainty'
— narratives on retirement transition experiences | | Author(s) | Suzanne Moffatt, Ben Heaven |
| Journal title | Ageing and Society, vol 37, no 5, May 2017 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press, May 2017 |
| Pages | pp 879-898 |
| Source | cambridge.org/aso |
| Keywords | Retirement ; Adjustment ; Phased retirement ; Preparation [retirement] ; Qualitative Studies ; North East England. |
| Annotation | Retirement is a major life transition which is associated in public discourse with reduced economic productivity and a raft of personal vulnerabilities. Consequently, governmental, health and employment sectors have promised 'active' planning of and 'healthy' retirements. This study presents a qualitative exploration of retirement transition and preparation experiences among 52 men and women from urban and rural areas of North East England. The sample was diverse in terms of social class, income level, health status and type of work exit. Health, finance, social relationships and third age opportunities were required resources for a good transition into retirement, and a degree of planning was required to mobilise these resources. However, the degree of choice and control around the transition to retirement was highly variable and socially structured. The notion of planning was embedded as normative practice, particularly in relation to finance, but the practice of planning was highly contingent, primarily due to personal circumstances (ill health, bereavement, relationships) and work exit (redundancy, work-stress, changes to shift patterns or hours). The findings offer insights into the reasons why many people do not plan and indicate that many of the assumptions associated with retirement planning warrant further consideration both theoretically and practically. (RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-170421200 A |
| Classmark | G3: DR: G5N: GA: 3DP: 82NE |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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