Changing focus, shifting tasks, reworking relationships: Highly educated professional White women nearing retirement age in the workforce.

Abstract

Women's roles in the workplace have undergone major changes starting in the early 20th century and continuing to this day, and the meaning of retirement has changed dramatically for those in the workforce over the last few decades. In this qualitative research project, we explore the thoughts and feelings of highly educated professional white women who are still actively working in their careers as they are approaching or have reached what is considered retirement age. A series of prompts was used to elicit their responses to various aspects of their lives and work and the intersection with retirement possibilities. Data from 14 women were examined and analyzed through thematic analysis. Background influences from families and the social context; changes in the work itself such as flexibility, control, and shifting tasks; relationships at home and work; and concerns around retirement such as health, finances, and general ambivalence all contribute to women remaining in the workplace. Although the study is descriptive and exploratory and was not originally framed as a clinical study, considerations for clinical practice with women in this age group who are similar demographically to the women in our study are offered. We hope that this information will be helpful to clinicians who work with women in this age group. This work fits within current thinking about and constructions of aging and its meaning, as reflected in a recent special issue of The American Psychologist (May-June 2020). Public Significance StatementThis exploratory, qualitative study looks at the reasons that a sample of highly educated women choose to continue working past traditional retirement age, examining the meaning that work has for them and how they make changes in their work life that enable them to keep working. Older women in the workforce, clinicians working with older women, and researchers in lifespan development might learn from this more positive vision of aging and work.