Imaginary, subjectivity and women’s retirement

Adriana Ventola Marra,Maria Regina Carvalho Teixeira De Oliveira,Valéria Da Glória Pereira Brito,Bernadete Oliveira Sidney Viana Dias

doi:10.15728/bbr.2011.8.2.6

Adriana Ventola Marra, Maria Regina Carvalho Teixeira De Oliveira + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.15728/bbr.2011.8.2.6

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Abstract

Women’s retirement is a time of reorganization of life, which goes through understanding of its symbolic and imaginary dimension. In this article, it is assumed that the transition from work to retirement changes the imaginary, modifying the subjectivity of these workers, giving rise to multiple meanings about breaking the link with working life. This research was conducted primary aiming to investigate how the phenomenon of retirement is interpreted by the feminine imagery. For this purpose, a qualitative exploratory research was developed, in which eleven standard interviews were openly conducted with women who have retired in the last ten years, in different occupational areas. For some respondents, retirement meant a return to a stage of dependency and inactivity, for others, meant the liberation from what was considered a burden or nuisance, seen as an opportunity to have new experiences that were not possible during professional life.

Highlights

The inclusion of women in the Brazilian labor market has been gradually happening since the symbolic landmark of adoption of the contraceptive pill in the late 1960s
It is undeniable that the growth of the economically active population is grounded in the feminine presence in this market
Brito, Oliveira e Dias was a burden or nuisance, or even the opportunity to have new experiences that were not possible during the work. Retirement can mean both gain and loss, depending on the cultural determinations of each subject, on his life story, on his ability to interact with others and with the world (Silva, 1999), on the place that his professional identity held in his life and on how his free time before retirement was dealt with (SANTOS, 1990)

Summary

INTRODUCTION

The inclusion of women in the Brazilian labor market has been gradually happening since the symbolic landmark of adoption of the contraceptive pill in the late 1960s. There is no consensus among researchers; some consider work as a vital determinant of life style and condition, while others as playing a minor role (Bendassolli, 2006) Concerning those who defend the central place that work occupies in people’s lives are Zanelli and Silva (1996), who state that work is a major source of meaning for human existence. Brito, Oliveira e Dias was a burden or nuisance, or even the opportunity to have new experiences that were not possible during the work In this sense, retirement can mean both gain and loss, depending on the cultural determinations (time and space) of each subject, on his life story, on his ability to interact with others and with the world (Silva, 1999), on the place that his professional identity held in his life and on how his free time before retirement was dealt with (SANTOS, 1990). The theoretical reference used is presented, along with the collected data analysis in a set formed by eleven women retired in the last 10 years, with higher education and a successful career, i.e., women who achieved positive results, reaching their expectations established at the beginning of professional life

METHODOLOGICAL APPROACH

PROCEDURES FOR DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS PLAN

CONSIDERATIONS ON THE FEMALE RETIREMENT

Findings

FINAL THOUGHTS