Well-Being and Extended Working Life

Most European countries have experienced labour market reforms at varying times leading to extended working life and a postponement of retirement age. This book provides a gender perspective on the impact of extended working life on the different dimensions of well-being, the factors which can limit extended working life, and the working conditions of older workers. Over the course of 11 chapters the book explores factors that can limit access to paid work or affect working conditions for older workers, including care for dependent individuals, negative stereotypes surrounding aged workers and poor health. It also investigates differences in working conditions for older workers by gender compared to other groups of workers and across European countries including case-studies from Austria, France, Spain, Poland, Croatia, Albania and Turkey. It will be of interest to all scholars and students of social policy, sociology, gender studies and labour studies more broadly.

Tindara Addabbo (University of Modena & Reggio Emilia) is Full Professor of Economic Policy and coordinator of the Doctoral Research Course in Labour, Development and Innovation at the Department of Economics Marco Biagi. She publishes on the gender impact of public and social policies, employment and wage discrimination by gender, income distribution, well-being, quality of work. Patricia Carney (Health Service Executive) is a Senior Researcher at the Department of Public Health HSE Midlands. She publishes on the impacts of informal care for older people on different factors of well-being, determinants of health inequalities, health and well-being in dementia and the lifecourse. Áine Ní Léime (Irish Centre for Social Gerontology at the National University of Ireland Galway) is a senior researcher and former Chairperson of COST Action IS1409 Gender and Health Implications of Extended Working Life in Western Countries (2015-2019). Her recent publications focus on gender, older workers, retirement and extended working life. Jeroen Spijker (Centre d'Estudis Demogràfics-CED, Spain) is a "Ramón y Cajal-I3" Research Fellow. He obtained a BA in 1994 in Sociology and Human Geography from Massey University, New Zealand and a Master in 1997 and PhD in 2004 in Spatial Sciences (specialisation Demography) from Groningen University, the Netherlands. He has published on a wide range of topics in the field of demography, including population ageing, elderly care, family formation after divorce and widowhood and how the recent economic crisis in Catalonia and Spain has affected the health of the 50+. SiniSa ZrinScak (University of Zagreb) is full Professor and Head of the Chair of Sociology at the Faculty of Law. Previously, he taught Comparative and European Social Policy at the Department of Social Work (Faculty of Law, University of Zagreb). He publishes mainly on religious and social policy changes in post-communism, Europeanisation, and gender.

1.Introduction to Well-being and Extended Working Life: A Gender Perspective. 2.Extended Working Life in Austria and the EU 28 - How Do Gender, Health and Life Satisfaction Relate to Longer Working Life? What Else Matters?. 3.The Discrepancy Between Actual and Preferred Work and Working Hours. Proposing a Triple-A Approach to Understand Employment and Time Constraints in the 'Rush Hour' and 'Autumn' of Working Life. 4. The Working Conditions of Older Workers in Comparative Perspective. 5.The Impact of Age and Perceived Age Discrimination on Job Satisfaction and Mental Health. 6.Assessment of Extended Working Life in Albania on Various Dimensions of Well-Being From a Gender Perspective. 7.Care for Dependent People and Extending Working Life in Poland. 8.The Relationship Between Self-rated Health and Employment During the Recent Economic Crisis; The Case of Spain. 9.Decision to Extend Working Life in Turkey and its Relation to Subjective Well-being: A Qualitative Analysis from a Gender Perspective. 10.Gender Differences in Working Conditions in France. 11.(Active) Ageing, Gender and Social Policy Reforms: The Case of Pension and Eldercare Reforms in Croatia.