"I Just Couldn't Sit at Home and Do Nothing": A Qualitative Analysis of Bridge Employment Experiences

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dc.contributor.advisorGiuffre, Patti
dc.contributor.authorWalajtys, Adele Renee
dc.contributor.committeeMemberTrepagnier, Barbara
dc.contributor.committeeMemberBynum, Victoria
dc.date.accessioned2012-02-24T10:12:35Z
dc.date.available2012-02-24T10:12:35Z
dc.date.issued2007-05
dc.description.abstractThere are significant increases in the number of people approaching retirement age and of individuals opting to return to work after retirement. Although there are many studies on the meaning of work and retirement, bridge employment is a neglected area of sociological research. In order to analyze people’s motivations for and experiences with returning to work after retiring, I conducted fifteen in-depth interviews. Respondents discussed extrinsic and intrinsic rewards that influenced their decisions to return to paid work. They also described the need for activity, which is indicative of what researchers have termed “the busy ethic.” In addition, the data indicated several gender differences in bridge employment motivations. Men and women in the study had similar obstacles in finding bridge employment, but used different strategies to find jobs. Men discussed extrinsic rewards such as identity and sense of control as motivating factors for returning to the workforce and sources of job satisfaction, whereas women emphasized intrinsic rewards such as the challenge and variety bridge employment provided.
dc.description.departmentSociology
dc.formatText
dc.format.extent76 pages
dc.format.medium1 file (.pdf)
dc.identifier.citationWalajtys, A. R. (2007). <i>"I just couldn't sit at home and do nothing": A qualitative analysis of bridge employment experiences</i> (Unpublished thesis). Texas State University-San Marcos, San Marcos, Texas.
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10877/3397
dc.language.isoen
dc.subjectBridge employmenten_US
dc.subjectRetirementen_US
dc.subjectGenderen_US
dc.subjectWorken_US
dc.subjectBusy ethicen_US
dc.subjectBaby boomersen_US
dc.title"I Just Couldn't Sit at Home and Do Nothing": A Qualitative Analysis of Bridge Employment Experiencesen_US
dc.typeThesis
thesis.degree.departmentSociology
thesis.degree.disciplineSociology
thesis.degree.grantorTexas State University-San Marcos
thesis.degree.levelMasters
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Arts

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