Abstract:In this paper, relationships between old age, retirement and social inequalities, as marked by participation in leisure activities, are examined. Two issues are tackled : first, whether old age and particularly the transition into retirement have an effect on participation in three selected activities ; and second, whether the social inequalities underlying these activities change with older age and retirement. The empirical investigation uses data from the first two waves of the English Longitudinal Study of … Show more
“…The transition to retirement involves both gains and losses and leisure can play an important role in a person's adjustment (Carpenter and Patterson 2004;Earl, Gerrans, and Halim 2015;Nimrod 2007). However, research suggests that retirement can have a negative impact on leisure particularly if retirement was prompted by illness or if it is accompanied by a decline in financial resources (Scherger, Nazroo, and Higgs 2011).…”
The purpose of this paper is to explore the everyday experiences of physically active leisure during the transition to retirement. Twentyfive adults aged 47-66 who were recently retired or nearing retirement blogged during three different two-week sessions over one year and participated in follow up focus groups. Data were analysed using initial, focused, and selective coding. Findings provided insights into participants' experiences of physically active leisure in the context of their everyday lives. First, increased freedom in daily schedules led to both appreciation for spontaneity and a desire for structure. Second, participants experienced new constraints related to the loss of social networks and work-related physical activity. Finally, participants described physically active leisure as being connected to meaningful outcomes such as enjoying the outdoors, stress-relief, or socializing with family and friends. Physically active leisure was described as one health priority among many and one of several healthy leisure alternatives.
ARTICLE HISTORY
“…The transition to retirement involves both gains and losses and leisure can play an important role in a person's adjustment (Carpenter and Patterson 2004;Earl, Gerrans, and Halim 2015;Nimrod 2007). However, research suggests that retirement can have a negative impact on leisure particularly if retirement was prompted by illness or if it is accompanied by a decline in financial resources (Scherger, Nazroo, and Higgs 2011).…”
The purpose of this paper is to explore the everyday experiences of physically active leisure during the transition to retirement. Twentyfive adults aged 47-66 who were recently retired or nearing retirement blogged during three different two-week sessions over one year and participated in follow up focus groups. Data were analysed using initial, focused, and selective coding. Findings provided insights into participants' experiences of physically active leisure in the context of their everyday lives. First, increased freedom in daily schedules led to both appreciation for spontaneity and a desire for structure. Second, participants experienced new constraints related to the loss of social networks and work-related physical activity. Finally, participants described physically active leisure as being connected to meaningful outcomes such as enjoying the outdoors, stress-relief, or socializing with family and friends. Physically active leisure was described as one health priority among many and one of several healthy leisure alternatives.
ARTICLE HISTORY
“…Further, it has been shown that entering retirement does not have a strong effect on the level of leisure participation (see, e.g. Scherger et al 2011). However, with the growing role of the Internet as an everyday activity, as well as its potential incentive for other leisure activities (see e.g.…”
The article examines the relationship between the Internet use and leisure activities amongst Finnish seniors. Traditionally, the young have been the most active users of the Internet and other information and communication technologies (ICTs). In recent years, however, older age groups have increasingly become more interested in ICT, yet a significant proportion of Finnish seniors rarely log on. Using data from a nationally representative survey ( = 542) conducted in the summer of 2010, we explored the connection between the frequent Internet use and general leisure activity. The basic socio-demographic variables were controlled in the analysis. The findings indicate that the active Internet use in old age has a strong positive correlation with the number of different leisure activities amongst Finnish seniors. As most European societies continue to age, it is clear that future research should focus on the implications and the role the Internet and other new ICTs will play in the everyday life amongst the ageing citizens.
“…Meanwhile, research within the UK consistently highlights the diversity of fortune and experience within the Baby Boomer generation, and the extent to which people's experience within later life is shaped by factors of social class, income inequality, employment, (ill) health, gender, ethnicity, and family support networks as much as, if not more than, by their generational location (see Leach ; Phillipson ; Pilcher ). Indeed, as Scherger et al () suggest, in their study of leisure activities and inequality in retirement, this challenges the idea that the ‘new old age’ has become a reality for most people: The Third Age as imagined by Laslett (1987, 1996/1989), a time of new activities and self‐development, has not become reality, notwithstanding that the prospects of a continuing active lifestyle after retirement seem to be good for most retirees, and that some privileged groups come close to Laslett's vision. (Scherger et al : 167)…”
Section: Discussion: the Cross‐national Diffusion Of The Baby Boomer mentioning
The sociology of generations has attracted an awakened interest in recent years, sparked in part by high-profile media and policy discussions about the problem of the 'Baby Boomer' generation. While this discussion tends to focus on resource issues arising from the existence of a relatively large cohort (for example, pensions and healthcare), it contains an implicit moral critique of the generation associated with the economic 'boom' of the Sixties. This article examines the development of the cultural script of the Baby Boomer problem in British newspapers over a 26-year period, to examine how shifts in the discourse about the Boomer generation relate to wider social, economic, cultural and political trends.
IntroductionThe problem of generations is, fundamentally, the mediation between past, present and future, where society is preserved, made anew, and at certain points
MethodologyThis paper is based on a study of the construction of the Baby Boomer problem in Britain between the years 1986 and 2011. The study design drew on two distinct, but related, branches of cultural sociology. The first was the concept of a 'cultural script'
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