The dictionary definition of retirement is to withdraw, go away, become unsociable, seek seclusion from the world. Is this how we view our later lives? Not me. This definition is as bad as “the twilight years”. Ernest Hemingway called retirement “the ugliest word in the language”.
Retirement can mean an event to mark the end of working life. Among many quotes I’ve seen, one was from writer RC Sherriff, “When a man retires and time is no longer a matter of urgent importance, his colleagues generally present him with a watch.” It could mean the life stage between the end of paid work and death, a period that is lengthening thanks to increasing longevity. A 1987 paper by author and academic Tom Schuller saw retirement as a “second adolescence” – a transition stage that could last up to a decade, encompassing as much change as between childhood and adulthood.
Retirement can also be depicted as a lifestyle, with such terms as “retirement housing”, “retirement activities” and “retirement travel” used in advertising.
Clearly, when retirement means paid work ending and a drop in income, there are necessary adjustments: “It’s nice to get out of the rat race but you have to learn to get along with less cheese,” from American comedy writer Gene Perret, and “The challenge of retirement is how to spend time without spending money” (author unknown).
Retirement also implies an increase in time with which to do what we like, commented on by Will Rogers, who said, “[Retired] life is spent trying to find something to do with the time we have rushed through life trying to save.”
George Bernard Shaw was moved to say, “A perpetual holiday is a good working definition of hell.”
I would like to be able to think of retirement as a time of choice and opportunity but instead it is beset by negative, ageist stereotypes. Age phobia is implicit in demeaning words used for older people such as wrinklies, grey-hairs, geezers, codgers, fossils and fogeys.
“Elderly” conjures up frailty and dependence. And the worst term I’ve heard: “pre-dead”.
The Sydney Morning Herald put an accusatory spin on matters, writing, “The ramifications of ageing could be serious as the elderly become an additional burden to the traditional scourges of poverty and disease.” How does it feel to be compared to malaria or the Covid virus?
So what could be a new view of retirement? How about we put together a portfolio of activities. They could include paid work with a range of options for hours, time and place of work. There are plenty of examples of employers making adjustments to retain valued and skilled workers.
Also in the mix can go unpaid voluntary work in local communities of interest. And caring for family and friends, say, including older people who have become dependent and the dependent young such as grandchildren.
Non-work activities such as hobbies, sport, travel and educational opportunities along with time spent on reflection, reminiscence and spirituality can all go into a “portmanteau” of retirement activities chosen to satisfy the wishes and experience of people in later life.
This mixture will vary between individuals and will change over time.
Is there a more positive term for later life which encapsulates choice, freedom and fulfilment? In Spain the word for retirement is “jubilaciÓn” – jubilation. What a wonderful idea. When a friend and I were in Spain, I had great pleasure in approaching ticket counters and saying “dos jubiladas, por favor”. I very much liked being a jubilada – a retired lady – much more than a pensioner or even a senior citizen, especially as it meant a concession price. Could “jubilation” be our new word for retirement? Or could we just adopt “later life”? l
Judith Davey is an independent social researcher with a focus on population ageing and policy implications.
