This study analyses data on 1600 women and 1100 men over a 12-year period in 11 countries to assess the influence of institutional and individual factors on retirement decisions in different settings. It finds the retirement pathways of both men and women vary within and between welfare regimes and that they are not uniformly ‘gendered.’ … Read more
Gendered retirement pathways across lifecourse regimes
Cash for Care as Special Money: The Meaning and Uses of the Care Allowance in Close Relationships in the Czech Republic
This paper investigates the responses of family members with long-term caring responsibilities in the Czech Republic to the introduction in 2007 of a cash-for-care benefit. Specifically, it examines how those family members viewed and used the benefit. The research compares two in-depth qualitative studies: one undertaken with adult children providing care to their parents and … Read more
The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Working Lives and Retirement Timing of Older Nurses in Ireland
This article draws on interviews with 16 female and nine male older nurses in Ireland in 2021 and asks what effect the pandemic has had on their working conditions and retirement intentions. It finds that while some responded positively to the pandemic, some experienced adverse health impacts, stress and exhaustion and many of the women … Read more
European Union Extended Working Life Policies: On Pension Systems, Public Finances and Biopolitical Disciplining
This paper takes three key European Union documents on extended working lives (EWL) and looks at them from the perspective that policies are not entirely shaped by problems: in fact, problems are often shaped, in narrative terms, around policies. It concludes that the ‘problem’ which shapes much EU policy on EWL is questionable – the … Read more
Country report: Sweden
The DAISIE project explores the gendered impacts of policies and practices aimed at extending working life (EWL) in five contrasting national settings (the Czech Republic, Ireland, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK), using a mixed methods research design inspired by insights from life-course and gender studies. The project addresses two significant and timely issues: labour market … Read more
OECD Policy Recommendations on Extending Working Lives
This Working Paper presents an overview of the OECD’s approach to extended working life, in relation to pensions and employment policy. It briefly outlines the role of the OECD and traces the evolution of OECD policy recommendations on extended working life from 2005 onwards to 2018. It discusses how the OECD recommends policies targeted at … Read more
COUNTRY REPORT: Czech Republic
Policies aimed at extending working lives (EWL) have only been introduced in the Czech Republic over the last 15 years. This report first describes the situation of the 50+ age group in the Czech labour market. In the second part, it maps retirement, employment, pension and other relevant policies in the Czech Republic as well … Read more
COUNTRY REPORT: United Kingdom
In recent decades, the extension of working life has become a priority for policy makers in the UK. An ageing population, combined with steady increases in life expectancy, have led to a dramatic growth in the proportion of adults above State Pension age, alongside a shrinkage in the number of working-age adults. This has led … Read more
COUNTRY REPORT: Ireland
Abstract This paper presents a discussion of the gender and health impacts of extended working life policies in Ireland. It gives an overview of gendered working patterns in Ireland, focusing particularly on older workers and giving an outline of some of the historical policies that affected women earlier in their working lives, adopting a lifecourse … Read more
COUNTRY REPORT: Switzerland
Abstract The DAISIE project explores the gendered impacts of policies and practices aimed at extending working life (EWL) in five contrasting national settings (the Czech Republic, Ireland, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK), using a mixed methods research design inspired by insights from life-course and gender studies. The project addresses two significant and timely issues: labour … Read more