Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Hostname: page-component-669899f699-7tmb6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-04-29T19:27:47.372Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

11 - Risk, resilience, and life-course fit:

older couples' encores following job loss

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 December 2010

By
Stephen Sweet, And Phyllis Moen  and
Rachelle Hill
Edited by
Prem S. Fry  and
Corey L. M. Keyes
Prem S. Fry
Affiliation:
Trinity Western University, British Columbia
Corey L. M. Keyes
Affiliation:
Emory University, Atlanta
Get access

Summary

Abstract

A long tradition of research shows job loss to be socially toxic to the health and well-being of individuals and families. In today's economy, seniority no longer means job security, as lay-offs of older workers from their career jobs are increasingly common, but often unexpected by those forced out of work. Older dual-earner couples are in double jeopardy of job lay-offs. What contributes to the resilience of women and men in their fifties and sixties confronting the crisis of job loss, as individuals and as couples? With years of adulthood before them, what ‘encores’ do they seek? We build on a combined ecology of the life-course and stress process framework to theorize four strategic adaptations of older working couples confronting displacement from one or both partners' jobs, drawing on qualitative data to illustrate how they promote resilient life-course fit: (a) changing the situation, (b) redefining the situation, (c) altering relationships, and (d) managing rising strains and tensions. We theorize and find three key resources conducive to and reinforced by a resilient encore of fit: control or mastery over one's life, social connections and support (within the couple but also with others in one's social network), and making a meaningful contribution (through paid work, civic engagement, or family work).

Introduction

A number of demographic trends – including delays in the labor force participation of younger workers, the aging of the large baby-boom cohort, changes in retirement and Social Security policies and programs – are encouraging longer labor force participation among older people, as well as new scholarly and policy interest in the growing proportion of older workers.

Type
Chapter
Information
New Frontiers in Resilient Aging
Life-Strengths and Well-Being in Late Life
 , pp. 283 - 309
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2010

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Book purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

Boss, P. (1999). Ambiguous loss. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.Google ScholarPubMed
Burke, R. J. and Greenglass, E. (1999). Work-family conflict, spouse support and nursing staff well-being during organizational restructuring. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 4, 327–336.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Charness, N. (2006). Work, older workers, and technology. Generations, 30, 25–30.Google Scholar
Clausen, J. (ed.). (1968). Socialization and society. Boston, MA: Little, Brown.and Co.Google Scholar
Dooley, D. (1994). Depression and unemployment. American Journal of Community Psychology, 22, 745–765.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ebaugh, H. R. F. (1988). Becoming an ex: The process of role exit. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.Google Scholar
Elder, G. H., Jr. (ed.). (1985). Life course dynamics: Trajectories and transitions, 1968–1980. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.Google Scholar
Elder, G. H., (1978). Family history and the life course. In Hareven, T. (ed.), Transitions: The family and the life course in historical perspective (pp. 17–64). New York: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Emirbayer, M., and Mische, A. (1998). What is agency?American Journal of Sociology, 103, 692–1023.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fullerton, H. N., and Toosi, M. (2001). Labor force projections to 2010: Steady growth and changing composition. Monthly Labor Review, 124, 21–38.Google Scholar
Garbarino, J. (1995). Raising children in a socially toxic environment. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.Google Scholar
Goode, W. I. (1960). A theory of role strain. American Sociological Review, 25, 483–496.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hamilton, V. L., Broman, C. L., Hoffman, W. S., and Renner, D. S. (1990). Hard times and vulnerable people: Initial effects of plant closing on autoworkers' mental health. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 31(2), 123–140.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hill, R. (1970). Family development in three generations. Cambridge, MA: Schenkman.Google Scholar
House, J. S., Kessler, R. C., Herzog, A. R., Mero, R. P., Kinney, A. M., and Breslow, M. J. (1992). Social stratification, age, and health. In Schaie, K. W., Blazer, D., and House, J. S. (eds.), Aging, health behaviors, and health outcomes (pp. 1–32). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.Google Scholar
Iversen, L., and Sabroe, S. (1988). Psychological well-being among unemployed and employed people after a company closedown: A longitudinal study. The Journal of Social Issues, 44, 141–152.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jahoda, M. (1982). Employment and unemployment: A social psychological analysis. New York: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Kelvin, P., and Jarrett, J. E. (1985). Unemployment: Its social psychological effects. Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Keyes, C. L. M. (1998). Social well-being. Social Psychology Quarterly, 61, 121–140.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kohn, M. L., and Schooler, C. (1982). Job conditions and personality: A longitudinal assessment of their reciprocal effects. American Journal of Sociology, 87, 1257–1286.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lazarus, R. S., and Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, appraisal and coping. New York: Springer.Google Scholar
Leana, C. R., and Feldman, D. C. (1992). Coping with loss: How individuals, organizations and communities respond to layoffs. New York: Lexington Books.Google Scholar
Marziali, E., and Donahue, P. (2001). Resilience indicators of post retirement well-being. Social and economic dimensions of an aging population, Hamilton, Ontario. Unpublished manuscript.
Moen, P. (1989). Working parents: Transformations in gender roles and public policies in Sweden. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press.Google Scholar
Moen, P. (2003). It's about time: Couples and careers. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.Google Scholar
Moen, P., and Chesley, N. (2008). Toxic job ecologies, time convoys, and work-family conflict: Can families (re)gain control and life-course “fit”? In Korabik, K., Lero, D. S., and Whitehead, D. L. (eds.), Handbook of work-family integration: Research, theory, and best practices (pp. 95–122). New York: Elsevier.Google Scholar
Moen, P., Elder, G. H. Jr., and Lüscher, K. (1995). Examining lives in context: Perspectives on the ecology of human development. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Moen, P., and Howery, C. B. (1988). The significance of time in the study of families under stress. In Klein, D. and Aldous, J. (eds.), Social stress and family development (pp. 131–156). New York: Guilford Press.Google Scholar
Moen, P., and Kelly, E. (2009). Working families under stress: Socially toxic job ecologies and time convoys. In Hill, E. J., and Crane, D. R., (eds.), Handbook of families and work (pp. 31–61). Lanham, MD: University Press of America.Google Scholar
Moen, P., Kelly, E. L, and Huang, R. (2008). ‘Fit’ inside the work-family black box: An ecology of the life course, cycles of control reframing. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 81, 411–433.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Moen, P., and Roehling, P. (2005). The career mystique: Cracks in the American dream. Boulder, CO: Rowman & Littlefield.Google Scholar
Moen, P., and Sweet, S. (2004). From “work-family” to “flexible careers”: A life course reframing. Community, Work and Family, 7, 209–226.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Moen, P., and Wethington, E. (1992). The concept of family adaptive strategies. Annual Review of Sociology, 18, 233–251.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Moen, P., and Wethington, E. (1999). Midlife development in a life course context. In Willis, S. L., and Reid, J. D. (eds.), Life in the middle (pp. 3–23). San Diego, CA: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Moen, P., and Yu, Y. (1999). Having it all: Overall work/life success in two-earner families. In Parcel, T., and Hodson, R. (eds.), Work and family: Research in the sociology of work, vol. VII (pp. 109–139). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.Google Scholar
Moen, P., and Yu, Yan. (2000). Effective work-life strategies: Working couples, work conditions, gender, and life quality. Social Problems, 47, 291–326.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Palmore, E. (2005). Three decades of research on ageism. Generations, 29, 87–90.Google Scholar
Pearlin, L. I. (1999). The stress process revisited: Reflections on concepts and their interrelationships. In Aneshensel, C. S. and Phelan, J., (eds.), Handbook on the sociology of mental health (pp. 395–415). New York: Plenum Press.Google Scholar
Pearlin, L. I., Menaghan, E. G., Lieberman, M. A., and Mullan, J. T. (1981). The stress process. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 22, 337–356.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pearlin, L. I., and Schooler, C. (1978). The structure of coping. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 19, 2–21.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Perrucci, C. C. (1994). Economic strain, family structure and problems with children among displaced workers. Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare, 21, 79–91.Google Scholar
Perrucci, R., and Perrucci, C. C. (1990). Unemployment and mental health: Research and policy implications. Research in Community and Mental Health, 6, 237–264.Google Scholar
Perrucci, C. C., Perrucci, R. and Targ, D. B. (1997). Gender differences in the economic, psychological and social effects of plant closings in an expanding economy. The Social Science Journal, 34, 217–233.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pillemer, K. A., Moen, P., Wethington, E., and Glasgow, N. (2000). Social integration in the second half of life. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press.Google Scholar
Powell, W. W., and DiMaggio, P. (1991). The new institutionalism in organizational analysis. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.Google Scholar
Riley, M. W., and Waring, J. (1976). Age and aging. In Merton, R. K. and Nisbet, R., (eds.), Contemporary social problems (pp. 355–413). New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.Google Scholar
Ross, C. E., and Mirowsky, J. (1992). Households, employment, and the sense of control. Social Psychology Quarterly, 55, 217–235.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rubin, B. A. (1996). Shifts in the social contract: Understanding change in American society. Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rupp, D., Vodanovich, S., and Cred, M. (2006). Age bias in the workplace: The impact of ageism and causal attributions. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 36, 1337–1364.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ryff, C. D., and Keyes, C. L. M. (1995). The structure of psychological well-being revisited. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 69, 719–727.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Shamir, B. (1986a). Protestant work ethic, work involvement and the psychological impact of unemployment. Journal of Occupational Behavior, 7, 25–38.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shamir, B. (1986b). Self-esteem and the psychological impact of unemployment. Social Psychology Quarterly, 49, 61–72.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sweet, S. (2007). The older worker, job insecurity and the new economy. Generations, 31, 45–49.Google Scholar
Sweet, S., and Meiksins, P. (2008). Changing contours of work: Jobs and opportunities in the new economy. Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge Press.Google Scholar
Swisher, R., Sweet, S. A., and Moen, P. (2004). The family-friendly community and its life course fit for dual-earner couples. Journal of Marriage and Family, 66, 281–292.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thoits, P. A. (1999). Self, identify, stress, and mental health. In Aneshensel, C. S. and Phelan, J., (eds.), Handbook on the sociology of mental health (pp. 345–368). New York: Plenum Press.Google Scholar
Uchitelle, L. (2006). The disposable American: Layoffs and their consequences. New York: Knopf.Google Scholar
Vosler, N. R., and Page-Adams, D. (1996). Predictors of depression among workers at the time of a plant closing. Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare, 23(4), 25–42.Google Scholar
Walsh, S., and Jackson, P. R. (1995). Partner support and gender: Contexts for coping with job loss. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 68(3), 253–268.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Weiss, R. (1997). Family life cycle, work, and the quality of life: Reflections on the roots of happiness, despair, and indifference in modern society. In Gardell, B. and Johannson, G. (eds.), Working life: A social science contribution to work reform (pp. 235–265). New York: Wiley.Google Scholar
Westman, M., Etzion, D., and Danon, E. (2001). Job insecurity and crossover of burnout in married couples. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 22(5), 467–481.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wethington, E., Pixley, J., and Kavey, A. (2003). Turning points in work careers. In Moen, P. (ed.), It's about time: Couples and careers (pp. 168–182). Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.Google Scholar
Wheaton, B. (1990). Life transitions, role histories, and mental health. American Sociological Review, 55, 209–223.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×