The passage to retirement

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Qualitative and quantitative research on work-life histories and the passage to retirement; policies related to later careers in the workplace, with a focus on workers who experience difficulties in the second part of their working life.

The end of the working life and the passage to retirement: the interaction between personal and profession life course histories

The generations born after 1945 have adopted new forms of family patterns that have influenced and contributed towards transformations in professional working life during the later stages of a career. These trends have important consequences for individuals and families, as well as for social policy aimed towards extending the working life. Personal life course events, changes and interruptions in careers, the quality of working conditions, changes in legislation concerning retirement and the availability of jobs in the labour market impact upon the way that individuals experience the end of working life and the passage to retirement. Cross-sectional and longitudinal data, together with qualitative interviews, are used to observe the complexity and interaction between legal constraints relating to retirement, the main reasons for which individuals retire, and their future projects. Certain life histories and family circumstances help to maintain older workers in the labour market, whilst others lead to early retirement or an early end to working life.

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