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ABSTRACT
Reduced income upon retirement is a vulnerability threat, which increases dependency on public provisions, familial, and/or social (community) support. Many German retirees, in addition to lifestyle motivations, move to low-cost destinations in order to maintain an autonomous and independent life while minimizing the risks of financial worsening. In this article, I discuss the vulnerability patterns of German retirees in the Mediterranean coastal town of Alanya, Turkey, and the role of social networks, with a particular focus on intergenerational family relations. I argue that, despite increased life satisfaction, relocation to a new destination abroad results in new emerging threats. German retirees in Alanya experience difficulties in terms of a lack of intergenerational family support and the double jeopardy of being framed by the legal regulations of two nation states. Based on the findings of the empirical research conducted in Alanya in 2017, I will demonstrate new threats emerged after relocation and how retirees respond to those with new coping strategies.
Notes
3. Deutsche Rentenversicherung: https://www.deutsche rentenversicherung.de/Allgemein/de/Navigation/0_Home/home_node.html, accessed on 16.03.2019.
4. This research is part of the project entitled “Mobile Ageing: transnational pendular migration and care-networks of retirees between Turkey and Germany”, which is funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) with grant number 300243171.
5. According to E.U. statistics, the gender pay gap in 2016 in Germany was 21.5%, which is much higher than the average gender pay gap in the E.U. of 16.2%. https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/info/files/aid_development_cooperation_fundamental_rights/equalpayday_factsheets_2018_country_files_germany_de.pdf
6. Despite the recruitment policies made since reunification in 1990, income and wealth inequalities between the former East and West Germany continue in the present. According to a report by the Berlin Institute, the average household income of the pensioners in the West was almost 30% higher than the household incomes of the retirees in the East Germany in 2015. 2015 Report of the Berlin Institute, So geht Einheit: Wie weit das einst geteilte Deutschland zusammengewachsen ist (p. 61) https://www.berlin-institut.org/fileadmin/user_upload/So_geht_Einheit/BI_SoGehtEinheit_final_online.pdf
7. The names of the interviewees are pseudonyms.
9. At the time of the research, in 2017, the exchange rate value of 1 euro was 4 Turkish lira.
10. Since 2013, according to the migration law in Turkey (Göc Yasasi Law number 6458), EU citizens without a visa can stay for a maximum of 90 days (non-visa tourists) within a six-month period. For longer periods of stay, EU citizens, need to apply for a permanent or short-term residence permits.
11. Until the declaration of the new migration law in 2013, following 90 days of uninterrupted stays in the country, non-visa tourists of EU countries were allowed to simply cross the border and return with no limit to the overall number of days they could spend in Turkey. The situation described by Jonas refers to those regulations before 2013. Further information about the change in the migration law can be found at: https://www.mevzuat.gov.tr & MevzuatMetin & 1.5.6458.pdf
12. The bilateral agreement does not include the treatment of “pre-existing chronic diseases.” Some of the interviewees with chronic health problems had to travel to Germany for their treatment, regular doctor visits and medical needs. Nevertheless, in this article, the discussion is limited with the care services: such as long-term care and outpatient care, that are common concerns of the majority of the interviewees. http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/699301467993491941/pdf/106233-WP-ADD-SERIES-PUBLIC-Migrant-workers-Germany-Turkey.pdf