Ruhestand - mehr Zeit für Lebensqualität? Die Bedeutung von Erwerbstätigkeit und Zeiterfahrungen im Lebenslauf für die individuelle Gestaltung des Ruhestandes

My work considers the overall question of how people spend their time after retirement, how it is impacted by their work biography and how the quality of life in retirement is influenced by it. The results mainly originate from qualitative interviews with German retirees retired within the last 10 years from two large department stores. The results of the study indicate a long-term effect of the work biography. Occupational socialisation is a lifelong process which starts before work and does not end after retirement. Furthermore the results show strong gender-related differences on the shaping of life after work. Analysing the life courses of retirees, I find that the social contacts outside the family play an important role not only for those who do not have much family support. Social ties to colleagues are still identity-giving after retirement and social interactions protect retirees from loneliness and social isolation in old age. This work contributes to the discussion on the work biography and interpersonal relationships and their path-dependent impact on subjective quality in later life.