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"Phillipson, Chris"
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‘Fuller’ or ‘extended’ working lives? Critical perspectives on changing transitions from work to retirement
Research on older workers and retirement has yet to adjust fully to an environment influenced by a combination of demographic change, technological developments and economic recession. A key dimension to the changing relationship between ageing and work is the tension between policies to extend working life and the increasingly fragmented nature of late working life, with the emergence of varied transitions, including: bridge employment, second/third careers, part-time working, early retirement and other variations. These developments indicate both the challenge of conceptualising new forms of work-ending, and – in policy terms – the extent to which these can successfully accommodate longer working lives. The paper provides a critical perspective to the policy of extending working life and the narrative which underpins this approach. The paper argues that retirement has become a ‘contested’ institution in the 21st century, fragmented across different pathways and transitions affecting people in their fifties and sixties. The paper argues the case for improving work quality and security as a precondition for supporting policies for encouraging working in later life. An essential requirement for this will include linking debates on extending working life with technological developments and changes affecting the workplace, creating differentiated paths to retirement and labour force exit, enhancing the provision of training and continuing education, and re-thinking the idea of the ‘older worker’.
Journal Article
Achieving fuller working lives: Labour market and policy issues in the United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom there has been a shift away from policies promoting early retirement towards an emphasis on extended, fuller working lives. This article examines the nature of policy change in this area and prospects for individuals remaining in work longer. Pension ages for men and women are rising rapidly and by 2028 are likely to reach 67 years. Cash benefits for those out of work before state pension age are becoming harder to access and incentives for working beyond 65 are being enhanced. In this context, restrictions have been placed on the use of mandatory retirement ages by employers. Employees have also been granted the right to request flexible employment. However, a lack of coordinated policy up until now means that important challenges exist with regard to extending working lives. Ill-health and low levels of qualifications limit the employment prospects of many older people, particularly among those in the poorest segments. Likewise, retention rates of older workers may have improved, but prospects for recruitment in older age remain poor. Policies focusing on the individual have also not yet recognised the extent to which employment in older age is influenced by the household and wider family context.
Journal Article
Placing ethnicity at the centre of studies of later life: theoretical perspectives and empirical challenges
Research on minority ethnic ageing remains a neglected area within mainstream race and ethnicity studies as well as that of social gerontology. This paper examines the background and reasons for this, arguing that a focus on minority ethnic issues provides a reminder of the complexity of the lifecourse, and of the diversity of ageing as a cultural, economic and social construction. The discussion reviews definitions of ethnicity and their relevance to work in social gerontology. The paper provides an account of early studies of minority ethnic ageing, identifying the strengths and limitations of this research. Later work is then considered, notably that focusing on issues connected with the rise of transnational communities and the changing character of neighbourhoods in urban environments. The paper argues that developing research on minority ethnic ageing has become especially important for understanding the impact of globalisation on re-defining communities, relationships and identities, within and beyond nation states. Globalisation, it is suggested, can be seen as a product of the movement of ethnic groups; equally, ethnic groups are themselves transformed by the possibilities created by global change. The paper concludes with a number of suggestions for embedding work on ethnicity within research in social gerontology.
Journal Article
The ‘elected’ and the ‘excluded’: sociological perspectives on the experience of place and community in old age
This article explores various issues concerned with belonging and identity in the context of community change and residential location. It examines the changing nature of community attachments in later life, and their impacts on the quality of old age lives. It also notes the increased importance of environmental perspectives within gerontology, not least because environments are being transformed through the diverse social, cultural and economic changes associated with globalisation. The argument is developed that globalisation offers a new approach to thinking about community and environmental relationships in later life, and that the impact of global change at a local level has become an important dimension of sociological aspects of community change. It is argued that it is especially important to apply these perspectives to older people, given that many have resided in the same locality for long periods. At the same time, globalisation also gives rise to new types of movement in old age, and is constructing an expanding mix of spaces, communities and lifestyle settings. A key argument of the article, however, is that global processes are generating new social divisions, as between those able to choose residential locations consistent with their biographies and life histories, and those who experience rejection or marginalisation from their locality.
Journal Article
The Political Economy of Longevity: Developing New Forms of Solidarity for Later Life
Aging populations now exert influence on all aspects of social life. This article examines changes to major social and economic institutions linked with old age, taking the period from the mid-20th century to the opening decades of the 21st century. These developments are set within the context of the influence of globalization as well as the impact of the 2008 financial crisis, these restructuring debates around the longevity revolution. The article examines how the basis for a new framework for accommodating longevity can be built, outlining ways of securing new forms of solidarity in later life.
Journal Article
Ageing in a Gentrifying Neighbourhood
Debates about gentrification continue to occupy a significant part of research investigating social change within urban communities. While most gentrification studies have focused on ‘incoming’ groups or those forced to leave, there is limited knowledge about those remaining in neighbourhoods undergoing community change. This study explores the experiences of older residents who have lived much of their adult lives in the same locality but whose views have been largely ignored in gentrification research. The article presents findings from seven focus groups (N = 58 participants) and 30 in-depth interviews with people aged 60 and over living in Chorlton, a gentrifying neighbourhood in Manchester, UK. These highlight both daily challenges and exclusionary pressures, as well as how people are active in creating a sense of belonging in a neighbourhood undergoing social change. The article concludes by discussing the need for interventions which promote the ‘age-friendliness’ of communities and ensure that older people have a space to be seen and heard in their neighbourhood.
Journal Article
Developing Age-Friendly Cities and Communities: Eleven Case Studies from around the World
Developing age-friendly cities and communities has become a key part of policies aimed at improving the quality of life of older people in urban areas. The World Health Organization has been especially important in driving the ‘age-friendly’ agenda, notably through its Global Network of Age-Friendly Cities and Communities, connecting 1114 (2020 figure) cities and communities worldwide. Despite the expansion and achievements of the Network over the last decade, little is known about the progress made by cities developing this work around the world. This article addresses this research gap by comparing the experience of eleven cities located in eleven countries. Using a multiple case study approach, the study explores the key goals, achievements, and challenges faced by local age-friendly programs and identifies four priorities the age-friendly movement should consider to further its development: (1) changing the perception of older age; (2) involving key actors in age-friendly efforts; (3) responding to the (diverse) needs of older people; and (4) improving the planning and delivery of age-friendly programs. The article concludes by discussing the research and policy implications of these findings for the age-friendly movement.
Journal Article
Reassessing the Aging Enterprise: New Perspectives on the Social Construction of Later Life
Four decades on from the publication of 'The Ageing Enterprise', this paper provides a critical review of the relationship between social theory and social policies for later life. To what extent do current theoretical perspectives in gerontology bear the influence of ideas laid out in that pioneering book? How has the ‘ageing enterprise’ fared given the dominant ideology of neo-liberalism and the precarious lives faced by people moving through the life course? The paper considers these questions in the context of globalization processes, and the imposition of austerity policies. The paper will consider the continuing importance of ‘The Ageing Enterprise’ by reviewing three main themes: first, assessing the changing relationship between the state and social policy; second, through examining current perspectives within critical gerontology; third, highlighting new forms of empowerment developing amongst older people, and the relationship of these to the values and ideas expressed in ‘The Ageing Enterprise’. Part of a symposium sponsored by the Women's Issues Interest Group.
Journal Article
Extended Work Lives and the Rediscovery of the 'Disadvantaged' Older Worker
Disadvantaged older workers are virtually invisible in policy debates about extended working lives. It is important to \"rediscover\" these workers, who are greater in number than is assumed, according to analyses of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing and the U.S. Health
and Retirement Study. Qualitative research with hospitality workers in England reveals the negative effects of expecting people to work beyond traditional retirement ages when they have low levels of health and education and struggle to continue working in physically demanding jobs. Policy
solutions could help reduce this problem.
Journal Article