„We are getting old whilst always doing something...“: Retirement as free time?

• Authors: Voľanská Ľubica

Title variants

CS

„Starneme pri tom, že stále niečo robíme...“: Dôchodok ako voľný čas?

• Languages of publication: SK

Abstracts

EN

The paper focuses on the phenomenon of free time or leisure time in retirement, as these phrases are often perceived as equivalents in public discourse in European space. Research shows, however, that in reality, the life of people in retirement is filled with various activities that usually do not have to be classified as leisure activities. In line with the concept of third age as an age of fulfilment, the concept of active or successful ageing and the concept of busy ethics, the paper deals with the way how people obtain different roles when they do not have to, but they still do. The choices or decisions about retirement are undoubtedly influenced by the discussion of the right to leisure, the increasing value of leisure time and the re-evaluation of the value of work in personal and social life, on the one hand, and some pressure to continue to be beneficial to society and active on the other. The author concentrates on how the sketched discussion is reflected by a group of people who, especially in the European environment, are becoming due to the demographic development more and more numerous – the oldest generation in society. They are confronted with two different attitudes at the opposite end of the value spectrum. The empirical basis for the study is qualitative research based on ethnographic interviews with pre-retirement and retired people in nowadays Slovakia, with a specific theme on preparing for retirement and living in retirement, as well as the results of several focus groups with this group of people.

Keywords

EN

Old age; retirement; free time; leisure; busy ethic; active ageing; Slovakia

Discipline

• ANTHROPOLOGY: ANTHROPOLOGY
• ETHNOLOGY: ETHNOLOGY

• Publisher: The National Institute of Folk Culture
• Journal: Národopisná revue (Journal of Ethnology)
• Year: 2018
• Volume: 28
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 103 - 118

Contributors

author

Voľanská Ľubica