New research into women in retirement begins at Swinburne

New research at Swinburne is looking at how women over 55 years of age experience retirement. 

Being conducted by Swinburne Emeritus Professor Susan Moore and Emeritus Professor Doreen Rosenthal from The University of Melbourne, the study aims to tap into an area that has previously had little research undertaken. 

“In the 1960s in Australia, it was uncommon for women to work full-time after marriage, and indeed, before 1966 married women could not work in the Commonwealth Public Service,” Professor Moore says. 

“It wasn’t until the late 60s and early 70s that a change in women’s roles started to take place. The women’s movement led to attitude change, the availability of childcare, flexible shopping hours and better pay rates, all making paid work a more realistic possibility for women.” 

Today, many of those women who went back to work in the 1960s, 70s or later, have recently retired, or are soon to do so. 

Professor Moore says the research is looking to identify how women face this transition phase of their life. 

“We want to understand how women are coping with retirement. We want to know what their coping mechanisms are, what activities they are taking part in and what their psychological responses to retirement are. 

“We’re also hoping to identify the different experiences of women experiencing retirement, compared to that of men.” 

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