When Baby Boom Women Retire

By Nancy Dailey

Book Overview

Fewer than 20% of Baby Boom women will experience a secure retirement. Marriage, education, occupation, home ownership--these variables predict their future. Possession of all four indicates retirement security, and absence of any increases risk of old-age poverty. This riveting sociological study also examines the social relations and structures that will determine the retirement experience, options, and decisions for more than 40 million Baby Boom women. These women's material base and social status are examined through the use of empirical data, and the key predictors of their retirement are identified.

The massive entry of Baby Boom women into the labor force increases the importance of retirement planning for working women. It comes at a time when existing research models and data are outdated and inadequate to effectively predict their future retirement experience. Over the past 30 years, American men and their spouses have benefited from the linear, undifferentiated model of the traditional male retirement. For the Baby Boom generation, however, the nature of work has changed significantly. The current retirement model may not serve Baby Boom men as well as in the past, let alone Baby Boom women. In contrast, this book offers a new, dynamic model that considers the social and work structures influencing women's lives and that accurately reflects the predictors and parameters of Baby Boom women's retirement.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0275970973
• ISBN13: 9780275970970
• Release Date: August 2000
• Publisher: Praeger
• Length: 168 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.5" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

A good analysis of baby boom women in retirement

Nancy Dailey focuses exclusively on the economic aspects of upcoming women baby boom retirement in the United States because this is the first generation of women who have spent a majority of their adult years in the labor force. In light of these employment patterns Dailey poses the compelling question "Have baby boom women earned their right to retire?". Her research findings indicate that the majority of baby boom women will not be financially ready to retire when time arrives. Despite the advancements of women in the labor force, women will remain dependent on the help of others. The inequity of wages between men and women combined with women caregiving responsibities which often entails interruptions in years worked penalize women in retirement. The current Social Security system is predicated on masculine assumptions of long-term stable employment that fails to acknowledge the unique circumstances of working women.Although Dailey presents a good base of statistical research, I believe the weakness of this study is her failure to investigate possible policy recommendations to alleviate disadvantages to women in retirement. At the end of the book Dailey only devotes 3/4 of a page to solutions but there deserves to be more.Overall, this book poses a good analysis of the problem but fails to follow through in policy recommendations. Regardless, it is a good read. This topic is so important. It is too bad this doesn't receive more mainstream media coverage.