Retired And Aging People: A Study Of Their Problems

One of the crucial problems of industrialization is the mandatory regulation of retirement. The technological advancement reduces the old skilled manpower out of labour force, whether or not they are physically, mentally or economically ready for retirement from their life?s major activity. As a consequence, it deteroprates the personal and social life of the retirees. From a meaningful employment a retiree is shifted to a non-productive role, where he has to be contended with less income and live in a sort of social isolation with deteriorating physical and mental health, and adjust with low status in the family. This sudden change in the life pattern as well as habits may give rise to traumatic experience. In a way, retirement has many meanings to those who are undergoing it. Sociologists, psychologists and gerontologists of late have shown greater interest in the problems of aged people. Gerontological researches, particularly in the retirement patterns, have led to conceptualization of the problem of retirement. The findings of these researches throw light on three major themes of retirement viz. engagement versus disengagement, integration versus segregation, and ?role ?theory?. The last theoretical orientation viz. ?role theory?, is the curtailment of occupational role of the people through a mandatory regulation of retirement after attaining a certain age limit. The author has made an attempt to present the socio-economic problems of those retirees whose occupational role is curtailed through a mandatory retirement regulation. To achieve this end, a sample of 352 (pensioner and non-pensioner) retirees was selected to know the kind of changes that have taken place in their personal, social, economic, family, health and psychological make-up after retirement. The book highlights the personal, family and social life of the retirees, and their economic health and psychological problems, there is no doubt that a pioneering study of this kind and a subject of such singular interest will be most welcome not only to the social scientists but also to laymen who are concerned about a major sociological problem.