title: Advice from working women with retired partners.
abstract: in the 21st century, as more women are employed full-time and couples increasingly share egalitarian values, more women continue employment after their partners have voluntarily retired. However, we know very little about the experiences of this growing population of women. We asked working women with retired partners to share their advice for other women who may face this developmental transition. Open-ended responses from 97 women were analyzed to identify pertinent issues and themes. Four primary content areas were identified: time management, division of household labor, financial planning, and communication. Communication between partners was both a topic of concern as well as the solution suggested to resolve conflicts or differences that may arise when women live with a retired partner. It is expected that future changes in the workforce and improvements in the gender balance within relationships will continue to impact experiences for working women with retired partners.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychology , Agnes Scott College , Decatur , Georgia, USA.
authors.forename: Eileen L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Cooley
authors.affiliation: b School of Social Work , University of Texas - Arlington , Arlington , Texas, USA.
authors.forename: Gail
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Adorno
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004651:Employment / Q000523:psychology*; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D006796:Household Work; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008875:Middle Aged; D012179:Retirement / Q000523:psychology*; D018454:Spouses / Q000523:psychology*; D014481:United States; D014931:Women, Working / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: Couples; gender; retirement; women and employment