Gender,
education and class impacts on retirement and quality of life in older age
University of
Birmingham
Researchers from the
University of Birmingham have found that raising your level of education and
skills during your working life are key factors in determining your quality of
life in retirement and older age.
The study, led by the
University of Birmingham Business School, involved interviewing around 50
retirees from a range of different professions and educational backgrounds.
It was found that pathways to retirement and experiences of retirement differed greatly according to profession, gender, class and education.
It was found that pathways to retirement and experiences of retirement differed greatly according to profession, gender, class and education.
The researchers identified 6 groups of workers including the professionals, delayed professionals, those who had disjointed careers, mid-career transformation, administrative careers and semi-skilled careers.
Experiences of
retirement differed greatly according to which group workers fell into; for
example, it was found the professionals were more likely to continue working in
a part-time capacity (though not for financial gain), while those who had
disjointed careers were more likely to continue to work in some capacity, such
as in self- employment with retirement not an option to them.
Meanwhile, those who
had administrative careers retired from paid employment but were more likely to
stay busy with activities such as helping family and doing volunteering.
The study showed the
importance of external factors throughout working life, such as employment,
family caring history, access to resources, particularly material and financial
resources, social networks and cultural capital (including education) and
physical and mental health in younger and middle ages.
The research also
identified a link between gender and class. For example, men and women
with similar career histories shared similar retirement expectations and
experiences, but this relationship was mediated by factors such as gender and
class, as well as access to resources.
Professor Joanne
Duberley, University of Birmingham said:
‘All of these factors
are interlinked, so financial resources can give individuals greater access to
social and cultural resources and help maintain physical health.
‘While education
shapes careers and helps people to amass financial capital. As such these
interlinkages can mean that inequalities in the initial distribution of
resources are reinforced, facilitating those in a privileged position and
constrain those who are disadvantaged.’
The researchers
identified a range of differing perspectives and feelings about retirement
within each group. For example, those who had long professional careers were
more likely to be optimistic and contented in retirement.
Professor Duberley,
University of Birmingham added:
‘One retiree who had
had a professional career used their retirement to set up a cheese making
business, something they could afford to do and had the time to do only in
their retirement. They saw retirement as an opportunity.’
‘In contrast, those
who did not embark on professional careers until later in their lives, due to
factors such as their earlier caring responsibilities, were more ambivalent
about retirement, fearing the loss of work-related identities and financial
insecurity.’
The study found those
who followed disjointed career paths with periods in and out of work and in
different types of employment, including self-employment, could also face
financial instability in retirement.
Women who had worked
in administrative jobs, but had also been very involved in family networks,
cited feeling more optimistic about retirement because it meant more
opportunities to spend time with family and friends. In contrast, men who
had followed semi-skilled careers were more concerned with identity loss and
inactivity in retirement.
The study also
highlighted the importance of access to financial resources at all stages of
people's lives.
Those who had access
to significant financial resources early on in their lives were found to be
more likely to have successful careers - accumulating more financial resources
and having excellent financial security in later life - opening up
options for positive retirement experiences.
However, periods of
ill-health, family caring responsibilities for adults as well as children and
decisions relating to re-training and learning could change the life course in
both negative and positive ways.
