TY - JOUR
T1 - Retired women and volunteering
T2 - The good, the bad, and the unrecognized
AU - Nesteruk, Olena
AU - Price, Christine A.
PY - 2011/4
Y1 - 2011/4
N2 - In this article, we examine varied attitudes and practices toward volunteering in later life, as shared by a group of 40 retired women. We categorize women based on their engagement in retirement and label the categories according to societal expectations as follows: traditional volunteers as "good," nonvolunteers as "bad," and caregiving volunteers as "unrecognized." Using critical gerontology and a feminist framework, we juxtapose the lived experiences of retired women with a prevailing discourse on successful aging and civic engagement. We advocate for societal recognition of caregiving as a valuable form of volunteering, as well as the need to respect multiple ways in which older women experience and find meaning in later life.
AB - In this article, we examine varied attitudes and practices toward volunteering in later life, as shared by a group of 40 retired women. We categorize women based on their engagement in retirement and label the categories according to societal expectations as follows: traditional volunteers as "good," nonvolunteers as "bad," and caregiving volunteers as "unrecognized." Using critical gerontology and a feminist framework, we juxtapose the lived experiences of retired women with a prevailing discourse on successful aging and civic engagement. We advocate for societal recognition of caregiving as a valuable form of volunteering, as well as the need to respect multiple ways in which older women experience and find meaning in later life.
KW - Caregiving
KW - Civic engagement
KW - Retirement
KW - Volunteering
KW - Women
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=79957542262&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/08952841.2011.561138
DO - 10.1080/08952841.2011.561138
M3 - Article
C2 - 21534102
AN - SCOPUS:79957542262
SN - 0895-2841
VL - 23
SP - 99
EP - 112
JO - Journal of Women and Aging
JF - Journal of Women and Aging
IS - 2
ER -