Transforming Retirement: New Definitions of Life After Work

Abstract

This quantitative research study uses survey data of women born between 1946 and 1951 in Australia. It follows earlier work that identified the importance of transitions from work for women of the baby boomer generation. We provide important insights into the lives of women who have partially or fully retired and the changing nature of women's work and retirement. For many women, retirement is characterized by newfound freedoms, opportunities, career change, and evolving identities, yet others view retirement as a continuation of previous occupational and gendered roles and commitments. This study has important implications for retirement policies for women.

Keywords:

• women
• retirement experiences
• baby boomers
• quantitative research
• longitudinal study
• Australia

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

The research on which this article is based was conducted as part of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health conducted at the University of Newcastle and the University of Queensland. We are grateful to the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing for funding and to the women who provided the survey data. This research has been funded under ARC Discovery Grant DP0451767, 2004–2006. Thanks to Dr. Chris Everingham (retired) for her assistance with this research project.