‘Real men’ on retreat? Gendered perceptions of retirement among construction workers

Abstract

Later life processes of withdrawal from the labour market are gendered – but often we only focus on sex differences between men and women thereby underestimating the importance of the gender and excluding discussions of non-structural causes of withdrawal behavior. The purpose of this paper is to examine gender differences among male construction workers asking whether differences in gender identity and gender ideals translate into differences in expected retirement age and type of withdrawal from the labour market as well reasons for this withdrawal? The data used for the paper stems from a random sample of male construction workers aged 50+ years (N = 1,760) who were asked about their retirement plans and expectations of withdrawal from the labour market as well as aspects of their gender identity and gender ideals. The results show that gender in different ways is associated with expectations of withdrawal – and in some respects so strongly associated as self-rated health. As the study group consists of a relatively homogeneous group of men, we would expect to fi nd even greater gender differences if we examined the problem in a random sample among all men in the labor market. We fi nd that, men with more traditional gender ideals (for example, that men ought to be the main provider of their family) are more likely to expect to leave the labor market for health related reasons than men who abandon such ideals. And men who identify more strongly with traits traditionally associated with femininity (for example, being ‘loving’ and ‘gentle’) are more likely to expect to leave the labour market in an effort to spend more time on family as well as on leisure time activities. The study therefore points out that even men in one of the most male-dominated industries are more heterogeneous than they are often portrayed, and it could therefore be argued that for this reason one should create better opportunities to gradually withdraw from the labor market to give way to these elements of life especially in the transition phase between being full time employed and retiring completely.