Retirement is the stage of life when someone stops working full-time, usually because they have reached a certain age or have enough money to support themselves. It can also mean the act of leaving a job permanently.
From *retire* + *-ment*. *Retire* comes from French *retirer* 'to withdraw', originally used for pulling troops back from battle.
Retirement used to mean 'withdrawing from the battlefield'; now it’s withdrawing from the workplace. For many people, the challenge isn’t just money, but building a new identity after the job title disappears.
Retirement systems and norms have historically been shaped around male-dominated, continuous full-time careers, often disadvantaging women whose paid work was interrupted by caregiving or limited by discrimination. Pension formulas and eligibility rules in many countries reflected these gendered labor patterns, contributing to higher poverty rates among older women.
When discussing retirement, acknowledge gendered differences in lifetime earnings and unpaid care work rather than assuming a uniform experience. Use gender-neutral examples unless analyzing specific gender gaps.
When describing the history of retirement policy, include women’s unpaid and underpaid labor and the advocacy of women economists and activists who pushed for more equitable pension systems.
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