Introduction
For this paper, two separate interviews were conducted with two retirees. One, M.Q., is a 66 year-old white woman who lives in a beach area. The other was JH, a 78 year-old African-American man who lives in a very rural area. Both interviews were conducted over the phone, as M.Q. is recuperating from a bilateral knee replacement and JH lives several states away. These two were chosen because they are complete opposites. While both currently live in the Southern United States, M.Q. was raised north of the Mason-Dixon line, while JH has lived south of the Mason-Dixon line his entire life. The only similarity they share is that they are retirees living on the East Coast. Because they are complete opposites, interviewing the two of them as opposed to a married couple, two sisters, or something of the like, I was able to get a more complete picture of what it means to be retired. This gave me more information, and a better idea of what I needed to look for in the articles I used.
Summary of Interview One
M.Q. said that she considered herself retired at 64. However, she began planning for her retirement almost thirty years prior, at the age of 38. As M.Q. was a registered nurse, she did not start a 401 K. Instead, she started a 401 B. One of M.Q.’s chief joys and complaints about retirement is all of her free time. She enjoys it because it lets her spend more time with her extended family, her husband, and her dogs. She dislikes it because she often finds herself
Elderly people (women and men age sixty-five or older) (Macionis, 2005), Have many obstacles to face as they grow older, many of these obstacles involve social inequality. Not only do the elderly have to learn to deal with many forms of Ageism (the stereotyping and prejudice against individuals or groups because of their age), some also have to deal with the fact that they do not have enough savings or pension benefits to be self supporting, for most people over sixty-five, the major source of income is social security (Macionis, 2005). This forces many elderly Americans back into the workforce to continue to earn money to support themselves and or spouses. Although many elderly Americans may choose
The Changing Concept of Race in the South Throughout the years, the concept of race has changed in the South.
The main reasons for African Americans migrating to the north was to establish a better life both through economic and social means. Jobs in the north for men proved to be worth the travel and separation from their families because the jobs provided versatility and increase profits. “The arriving southern blacks wanted the vacant jobs and the wages they paid that were two or three times higher than daily earnings in the South. As news of job openings and comparatively high wages spread through southern communities, African-Americans expressed an eagerness to reach Pittsburgh and to learn more about conditions there.” (Gottlieb, p. 139). As intended the job market and demand for African American works met and exceeded the expectation of the migrants coming from the South. Aside from the jobs offered to migrate men, all other expectation fall short of their imagination. The living condition were extremely costly and the homes were not in great shape. Not only was the living situation not up to expectation but the cost of food, clothing, insurance and membership dues to the churches and organizations didn’t leave much from the new “well” paying jobs. Many migrators felt they may be better off back down south where they could reduce their cost. “The migrants had moved north with high expectations, but the real world they
How does Fredrickson distinguish between race and ethnicity? How and under what circumstances can ethnicity become racialized’ (para.2)?
In this essay the question as to how race relationships in the southern area of the United States can be understood as social facts and further this essay will illuminate if being of black skin colour in the southern area of the United States can be regarded as pathological in respect to Durkheim’s sociological views.
The majority of people age 65 or older in the United States are still working in full time positions. This opens the question if they planned for retirement, or what if anything went wrong while working? How do they feel about still having to work? Have they taken proper steps in preparing for retirement? Are they only working to pass time? These are the questions that everyone should be asking themselves about their own retirement plans, and what they have done to financially prepare for that stage in their life.
In comparison of retired and working, retirees are usually ones to stay to themselves, but yet on the other hand are still
In 1492 Columbus sailed the Ocean Blue. Everyone knows the story of Christopher Columbus; they are taught it in grade school if not before then. When he landed in America by accident, he had no idea that he would be creating the world's largest Melting Pot. This "melting pot" provided means for a new country, made from a mixture of many cultures and beliefs, thus creating a new country with a new and ever-changing culture. One complication with a Melting Pot is that you cannot put people of different race and ethnicity together without conflict.
The age markers are slowly changing and so is the concept of retirement. The modern aged community is unwilling to declare themselves as retired. One of the respondents made a statement that he wishes to work as long as he could do. A self declared retirement will make one detached from activities thus speeding up the ageing process. An earlier retirement will most probably make the individual feel old soon and this emotional drift will have a dramatic influence on his physical as well as mental and emotional health as well.
Allen, S. G., Clark, R. L., & Ghent, L. S. (2004). Phasing into retirement. The Industrial & Labor Relations Review, 58(1), 112-127. Gelfand, D.E., & Bechill, W. (1991, Summer-Fall). The evolution of the older Americans act: a 25-year review of the legislative changes. Generations, 15(3), 19-22. Zastrow, C. H., & Kirst-Ashman, K. K. (2010). Understanding Human Behavior and the Social Environment (8th ed.). Mason , Ohio: Brooks Cole/Cengage.
There is much debate on whether Canadians are financially prepared for retirement. For every study claiming that Canadians are saving enough for their retirement, there is another that claims savings levels are too low. However, one point that nearly all experts will agree on is that retirement is changing. Advances in the health field are allowing people to live longer and be more active in their later years. As people live longer, they have to work longer to maintain their standard of living. And working longer could be beneficial to individuals, as well as to the economy. This paper will discuss how these reasons are causing the face and timing of retirement to change.
In order to explore the individual experiences of an older adult in the United States, we conducted an interview of a 78-year-old white male living in Silver Spring, Maryland. Throughout this paper, the interviewee will be referred to as Edgar; this is not his real name. The interview was conducted in the home of one of the interviewers because it is close to Edgar’s home. Throughout the interview, we discussed Edgar’s personal experiences with ageism, the physical and psychological effects of aging, family and social supports in old age, and the transition from work to retirement. While his experiences with personal aging are similar to that of many other individuals his age, his experience as full-time male caregiver offers unique insight into an unofficial occupation dominated by women.
Aging is described as a sequential, irreversible, progressive, and non-pathological process of maturation in an organism and that translates to a gradual decline in the ability to perform activities optimally. Aging is an individual process that can be a period of stress for individuals especially following their retirement (Hiller & Barrow, 2015). The current study sought to understand the process and experience of aging from the perspective of elderly individuals. In discussing matters of aging and retirement, many assume that women are always eager to retire, and adjust well, as compared to their male counterparts (Bauger & Bongaardt, 2016). Many people assume that since women are generally made as homemakers, they are willing and happy to retire while men, whose nature is to be the main source of family income, find it hard to be out of work (Moody & Sasser, 2014). Indeed, there exists very little literature that sheds some light on this area, particularly on the attitudes of each gender towards retirement and process of aging. Given the significance of retirement to this life stage, the study sought to understand the emotions and views of individuals regarding their retirement through the lenses of (1) Physical health and wellbeing, (2) Friends, Family, and Community, (3) Work and leisure, (4) Finances and lifestyles, and (5) Living
My father retired right at retirement age, and I have seen some of the negative affects retirement can have on a person. Our textbook explains the resource model of retirement, and I know how my father’s lack of resources to support him emotionally, physically, cognitively, and socially lead him to have a poor transition from employment into retirement. I witnessed a once engage, happy, and physically active man move quickly into depression which was attributed to his retirement. This model incorporates all the key areas of wellbeing that need to be addressed during this type of transition. His life experience with retirement has actually molded my thoughts on retirement as well. I am currently in the process of improving my physical and mental health to age
We all are currently aging. We live in an again paradox. But, it is what we choose to do with our time while we have it that counts the most. As a young adult, and before this class I was very unaware of the importance of planning your retirement as early as possible. There are many things that go into planning for a successful retirement. Such as, but not limited to: Where will I choose to live? What will I do to stay mentally active? Or even, when will I choose to retire. In this paper, I will go over a plethora of aspects for my personal plan for aging.