Scarce Resources for Retirement Planning

The need for pre-retirement planning for women is of growing concern today. Little is known about female professional workers and the problems they experience with pre-retirement planning. This study surveyed 218 professional women regarding their retirement plans and compared their responses to those of 239 professional men. The study focused on several issues: (a) what resources are available to professional women as compared to professional men for pre-retirement planning; (b) how gender is related to financial planning among professional workers; and (c) how gender is related to expectations about retirement income. In general, women were found to be disadvantaged, and strategies to meet their pre-retirement needs were suggested.     

Married Working Women in Retirement

This artile discusses the retirement adjustment of married working women by reviewing the literature which focuses on two factors: the saliency of work and role flexibilily. The special attitudes and feelings of this group of women, together with their increasing numbers in the labor force, warrant consideration by social workers who are involved in program planning for retirees.     

Employers and the Management of Retirement

In the UK early withdrawal from the labour market is seen as a risk and a cost, worsening the dependency ratio, raising public and private pension costs and threatening additional welfare expenditure over the longer term. Explanations of the retirement process have focused on the welfare state and the impact of pensions and other social security policies. This paper argues that a missing actor in these accounts is the employing organization. Early retirement in the UK has been predominantly driven by the labour requirements of employers rather than state policies to encourage older workers to take early retirement. There is a case for arguing that significant change in retirement behaviour in the UK will come primarily from the modification of employers’ policies. This research is a case study of three employers: one public‐sector and two commercial. It examines the dynamics of the retirement decision. This paper reports the public‐sector case. The findings indicate that employers, in order to reduce their pensions liabilities and stem the cost of early retirement, are trying to regain control of the retirement process. The employees interviewed felt they experienced little choice concerning their retirement, had limited knowledge of the options open to them and found pensions complicated and confusing.     

Promoting a feminist policy agenda: indigenous women leaders and closet feminism

In the Southwestern United States, Hispanas and American Indian women are increasingly adopting policymaking roles in state, local, and tribal politics. This study examines the influence of gender and ethnic identity on the policy agendas of 30 women who hold public office in New Mexico. Although the findings reveal a distinct pattern of advocacy for a feminist agenda, the majority of these indigenous leaders do not identify themselves or their goals as feminist. This research indicates that women’s policy concerns transcend ethnic/race boundaries. Furthermore, to understand Hispanas’ and Indian women’s politics, and to effectively apply feminist theory to praxis, new models incorporating their practical application of feminism are needed.     

Can increased educational attainment explain declining Indigenous fertility?

Prior research shows that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women are more likely to have children and have more children, on average, than non-Indigenous women. However, like those of the total Australian population, fertility rates of Indigenous women have been declining since the 1970s. The decline has been more significant in recent years. Between 2006 and 2016, an increasing proportion of Indigenous women postponed childbirth from their teens into their 20s and 30s, leading women to have fewer children over their lifetimes. During the same period, there was a rapid increase in educational attainment among the Indigenous population. This paper examines educational gradients in fertility among Indigenous women and whether the observed fertility decline is linked with the increased educational attainment. Using data from the 2006, 2011 and 2016 Australian Census of Population and Housing and applying a shift-share decomposition analysis, we find that education has been a big driver of falling fertility rates in non-remote areas. In remote areas, education has had a much smaller effect (except for youngest women).     

Trends in Social Security in East Africa: Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda

As elsewhere in the world and in Africa in particular, social security in the member countries of the East African Community (Kenya, United Republic of Tanzania, and Uganda) has long been provided through voluntary assistance under the traditional extended family system. Later, and more specifically after independence in the early 1960s, when the region had a major increase in the number of employees in the formal sector — both public and private — who were mainly located in urban centres, formal social security schemes started to gain recognition among employed workers. Thus over the years, the urban population became increasingly detached from rural communities where the traditional extended family system was most effective. In addition, their general standards of living rose to such levels that if they ceased to earn employment income for one reason or another their livelihood could not be sustained through the extended family system. The above social security development trends have resulted even today in societies examining and determining ways to improve social protection beyond the formal sector so as to ensure arrangements are put in place for a large part of the working population to be provided with social security insurance during their working life and after retirement.     

The Spanish public retirement pensions system: Principal challenges and recent developments

This paper first describes the basic characteristics of the Spanish system of retirement pensions, before addressing its major challenges in the future and the principal solutions proposed. For this purpose, many of the works on social security published in Spain over the past years have been reviewed to provide a recent overview of technical discussions on this subject. Finally, the main reforms undertaken by the government since 1995 are described in some detail and assessed.     

Defamilization/familization measures and women's pension income—The case of Taiwan

This paper examines how defamilization and familization measures can affect women's capacity to accumulate pension income and their subsequent standard of living after retirement. Firstly, it highlights the concepts of defamilization and familization and discusses the potential of these measures in assisting women to save pension income through the “commodification” and “decommodification” of labor. Secondly, it examines the major pension policies and examples of defamilization and familization measures in Taiwan. It shows how the current limited provision of such measures could create “double jeopardy” for women, affecting access to paid employment or resources to enable women who wish to undertake caring responsibilities to do so, ultimately impacting their capacity to accumulate pension income. Thirdly, it suggests ways to strengthen defamilization and familization measures in order to enable women to accumulate sufficient retirement income on the basis of three preconditions: policy attention to the reciprocal relationship between familization/defamilization measures and pension schemes for women; a recognition of differences between women in their preferred strategies to accumulate pension income; and an emphasis on a life course perspective to understand the double jeopardies faced by women in saving for retirement.     

Working Class Women and Retirement

This study explored retirement and the work life experiences of working-class women. Ninety-nine black and Caucasian women ranging in age from 66 to 84 were administered a telephone questionnaire assessing why they retired, and why they returned to work after retirement. Most compelling among the findings from this research were low earnings status and its lasting effects on psychological, physical, social, and economic well-being during retirement. Furthermore, occupations segregated by sex were associated with discrimination and low pay. A work life spent in sex segregated jobs, along with discrimination, left most of the working-class women with an economically insecure retirement. This resulted in women returning to the work force after retirement to supplement their income.     

Pathway planning with unaccompanied young people leaving care: Biographical narratives of past,present, and future.

This article presents findings from a qualitative study with Unaccompanied Young People (UYP) who have sought asylum alone in the UK without a parent or guardian. The findings explore how UYP create biographical narratives of their past, present, and future as they prepare to leave care, suggesting that UYP who have settled immigration status create coherent biographical narratives that reconcile the past with a positive imagined future. Themes of return and reciprocity emerged in their narratives as they developed aspirations to reunite with their families and return support received in the past by succeeding in education and careers. Unaccompanied young people who did not have settled status struggled to create biographical narratives and could not imagine the future or the past. These findings have significant implications for pathway planning with UYP, suggesting the need to recognise the interconnected nature of the past, present, and future as well as the role of families and education in future plans. Pathway planning for UYP with uncertain immigration status can be complex as young people struggle to maintain a biographical narrative. Further research is necessary to support young people and professionals with these challenges.     

HEALTH NEEDS OF MIGRANT VIETNAMESE WOMEN IN SOUTH‐WEST BRISBANE: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY

This study was conducted in the southwest area of Brisbane, Australia, and is designed to explore and assess the health needs of Vietnamese migrant women. The needs of this group are becoming increasingly urgent due to ageing of the original immigrant refugee community and decreased capacity for support from their children and families. The study used a qualitative research strategy involving focus groups and in‐depth interviews with Vietnamese women between 18–65 years and interviews with Vietnamese health care providers. It shows that the women have had to deal with culture shock, low self‐esteem, lack of friends and relatives, unrecognized professional skills and most importantly in health terms, low socioeconomic status. Significant barriers to access health services and to improved health and well‐being were also identified, such as language difficulties, transportation, time, and knowledge about health education. Recognition of specific requirements of sub‐populations as well as broader socio‐economic and cultural determinants of health should be a guide to more effective planning and implementation of health promotion strategies. The changing needs, over time, of these sub‐populations should also be recognized.     

Ageing Baby Boomers in Australia: Evidence Informing Actions for Better Retirement

The first Australian baby boomers are starting to retire. Consequently, it is essential to develop and apply a strong evidence base to facilitate their successful retirement and ongoing wellbeing. This review focuses on recent literature on pre‐retirement baby boomers to identify available research findings and gaps to be filled on retirement preparation. A notable shortage of empirical literature was found on pathways to retirement and financial plans. A trend emerged towards an intention to retire at an older age, and the main source of retirement income was expected to be superannuation. Over half of Australian boomers expect their savings to be sufficient; however, 30–50% anticipate a decline in their standard of living. The majority want the responsibility for funding retirement shared between the individual, government and employers. Further research is needed on the varying plans and expectations of men and women, of low‐skilled workers, and those from culturally diverse backgrounds.     

The bumpy road to ‘becoming’: capturing the stories that teenage mothers told about their journey into motherhood

Understanding the experience of women who become mothers during their teenage years is central to ensuring that the support that is offered is appropriate to meet their needs. This paper reports on a small part of a larger ethnographic study that captured the lived experience of young mothers who were between the ages of 16 and 19 years that potentially typifies and illuminates the experiences of young women who become mothers in their teenage years. By collecting data from narrative interviews as well as participant and non‐participant observations over an extended period of time it was possible to identify how the young women experienced a range of difficulties as they made their transition into motherhood. Drawing on the findings, this paper argues that this transition for teenage mothers can be significantly different from the experience of older mothers, and it identifies the importance of appropriate support to mediate the challenges that they face. Understanding the young women's journey to ‘becoming’ is critical when planning services because if their experience of support is negative, it can lead to increased levels of maternal stress and reluctance to engage with support services.     

Psychosocial Well-Being of Young People Who Participated in a Support Group Following the Loss of a Parent to Cancer

Despite the evidence of unmet support needs among young people who have lost a parent to cancer, only a few support group initiatives have been reported. This observational prospective study explored the psychosocial well-being of young people who participated in support groups at a Swedish specialist palliative care setting. On three occasions, 29 participants, aged 16–28 years, answered questionnaires covering characteristics of the participants, circumstances of the losses, psychosocial well-being of the young people, and their own assessment of the support groups. The support groups attracted mostly young women who were often unprepared for the loss. The living arrangements differed between younger and older participants; however, the loss-related variables did not differ. Significant positive changes were found regarding a sense of meaning in their future life and life satisfaction. The helpfulness of the group was assessed as high/very high and the group brought a valuable fellowship with others in a similar situation. Universality and beneficial interactions were reported and strengthened psychosocial well-being developed over time. This change, according to the young people themselves, may be attributed to the group support. The findings are useful for planning interventions to support young people in bereavement in order to enhance their psychosocial well-being.     

Intra-group variation in conservative Christians’ gender ideologies (1972–2006)

This paper illuminates significant intra-group variations in the gender ideologies of conservative Christians in the United States. Between the 1970s and the present, both conservative Christian men and women have become increasingly accepting of women's roles in politics and women's participation in the workforce. Religiously conservative women have become more opposed to sexual freedoms and abortion rights. Religiously conservative men have become less opposed over time to sexual freedoms and have not changed with regard to abortion ideology. In general, for both men and women, conservative Christians who are older, attend church services more often and have less education tend to be more conservative in their gender ideologies. For females only, higher incomes lead to less conservative gender ideologies, and living in the southern region of the United States tends to decrease their support for female politicians.     

Australia's retirement income revolution: a Finnish system "down-under"

Most advanced industrial societies are confronting serious economic recession, and governments are seeking ways to stimulate economic growth and reduce government expenditure. For many countries these problems are compounded by aging populations and demographic changes. There are fewer people in the workforce, and more people in older age groups live longer and have increased expectations for retirement lifestyles. The result has been that many governments are radically transforming their systems of retirement income provision, often causing political, economic and social upheaval and widespread public anxiety. Australia is one country in which there have been huge changes in the retirement income system in the past 5 years. The system has been substantially privatized, and future retirement income will come from statutorily enforced earnings-related individual savings accumulated in decentralized private funds. Australia's new retirement income regime bears extraordinary similarities to the Finnish system of employment-related pensions, yet there was no reference to the Finnish system in the evolution of the new Australian system. There are lessons for Australia and for other countries in the long and successful operation of the Finnish pension system. This article first examines Australia's retirement income system, recent government policy changes and likely implications of these retirement policy changes for the future of Australia's traditional welfare state. Cross-national comparisons of the retirement income regimes in Finland and Australia, identifying international best practice in each country, comprise the second half of the article. Such comparisons will be of interest to policy-makers seeking new policy directions.     

The Role of the Facilitator in Support Group Development

Support groups for family members of persons with mental illness have become common in the past fifteen years. Much has been written about appropriate formats and content for such groups, and research indicates that persons who participate in them frequently receive important benefits. However, less has been written about the process of effectively recruiting members for groups. Family members, for various reasons, are often reluctant to take the step of joining a support group. In this paper, the authors report their experience in organizing a support group for siblings and adult children of persons with mental illness. The role of the facilitator is highlighted, which was found to be essential in helping interested but ambivalent prospective members eventually join the group.     

Improving family planning services to rural adolescents

A longitudinal study conducted among young women and family planning service providers in 3 rural New York counties underscored the need to pay attention to individual differences among the clients served. Barriers to family planning acceptance in these counties included factors such as poor public transportation, long distances to clinic, and no telephone in many households that the urban population does not confront. The 900 young women in the sample were categorized as unserved, underserved, adequately served, or well served with regard to their family planning needs. A comparison of psychometric and survey data from these respondents indicated that clinic clients tended to be unmarried, to have a higher personal income, and have fewer children than their counterparts who were contraceptive nonusers. In addition, nonacceptors who completed the Future Events Test expected more positive events never to happen and made less use of planning for the future than the young women who were clients of the family planning clinic in their county. Although qualitative evaluation and participant-observation revealed significant differences between the 3 counties in terms of their family planning services, the distribution of women in the 4 categories did not differ among counties. Overall, these findings indicate that personality characteristics rather than situational variables are the best predictors of success or failure in taking steps to avoid unwanted pregnancy. For young women who are assessed at intake as lacking sufficient motivation to follow through on contraception, clinic personnel should develop an individualized plan aimed at providing education and raising self-esteem and optimism about control over future events.     

Reactions to social security retirement reform proposals in the United States

For some time the actuarial imbalance between revenues and benefit payments in the Social Security retirement programme in the United States has been a concern for decision makers, professional analysts, and the public. In response to this actuarial imbalance, President George W. Bush proposed in 2004 that changes be made in the method whereby Social Security benefits are determined and that individual investment accounts be established under the rubric of Social Security. The debate over the issue was intense, but it was effectively stilled by the middle of 2005. The probable legacy of the 2004‐05 debate is that limits have been placed upon future options to deal with the Social Security programme's financial difficulties. This article identifies those constraints which, together, constitute the new public policy “template” for future debates relating to the Social Security retirement programme in the United States.