The Retirement Experiences of Women Academics: A Qualitative, Descriptive Study

Autor/inn/en	Cahill, Mairead; Galvin, Rose; Pettigrew, Judith
Titel	The Retirement Experiences of Women Academics: A Qualitative, Descriptive Study
Quelle	In: Educational Gerontology, 47 (2021) 7, S.297-311 (15 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	ORCID (Cahill, Mairead)
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0360-1277
DOI	10.1080/03601277.2021.1929266
Schlagwörter	Women Faculty; Teacher Retirement; Older Adults; Aging (Individuals); Interpersonal Relationship; Quality of Life; Professional Identity; Personal Autonomy; Well Being; Health; Fatigue (Biology); Stress Variables; Research; College Faculty; Foreign Countries; Ireland + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Frauenakademie; Weibliche Gelehrte; Älterer Erwachsener; Aging; Altern; Interpersonal relation; Interpersonal relations; Interpersonelle Beziehung; Zwischenmenschliche Beziehung; Lebensqualität; Individuelle Autonomie; Well-being; Wellness; Wohlbefinden; Gesundheit; Fatigue; Ermüdung; Forschung; Fakultät; Ausland; Irland
Abstract	Retirement is now considered a process rather than a single event. Pathways to retirement are evolving and the retirement experiences of academics are becoming increasingly relevant given the aging academic workforce in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) worldwide. Academic retirement studies highlight that most academics continue to work in retirement. However, gender tends to be overlooked. Based on semi-structured interviews with eleven retired women academics, ranging in age from 64 to 73 years of age, who were employed in the Republic of Ireland, this article explores the impact of retirement on their daily lives and their personal and professional relationships. Following thematic analysis, four main themes were identified: (i) the impact of retirement on identity, (ii) the freedom of retirement, (iii) striving for health and wellbeing and (iv) the value of ongoing professional relationships in retirement. The majority of women continued to engage in meaningful work (paid or unpaid) which was central to their daily lives and identity following retirement. Three academics, in senior roles, who had long uninterrupted careers and who had strong research track records experienced dissatisfaction with mandatory retirement yet were able to continue research activities in retirement. Those with less research activity were more likely to retire early and describe the impact of stress and fatigue upon their health. Together, the findings illustrate that women academic's retirement pathways are heterogeneous. The findings have implications for the academic profession, human resource and retirement planning professionals. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01