Gender inequalities in extended working life: a systematic review of qualitative studies

Extended working life (EWL) in old age is an increasingly prevalent phenomenon in aging populations. Gender inequalities constitute one of the most studied aspects of EWL. However, research on this issue has been predominantly quantitative, resulting in limited understanding of the situated meaning...

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Main Authors: Francisca Ortiz Ruiz, Ignacio Cabib, Andrés Biehl, Carlos Budnevich-Portales, Trinidad Cereceda, Juan Pablo Ormeño, Martina Yopo-Díaz
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Linköping University Electronic Press 2025-06-01
Series:International Journal of Ageing and Later Life
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Online Access:https://ijal.se/article/view/5593
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author Francisca Ortiz Ruiz
Ignacio Cabib
Andrés Biehl
Carlos Budnevich-Portales
Trinidad Cereceda
Juan Pablo Ormeño
Martina Yopo-Díaz
author_facet Francisca Ortiz Ruiz
Ignacio Cabib
Andrés Biehl
Carlos Budnevich-Portales
Trinidad Cereceda
Juan Pablo Ormeño
Martina Yopo-Díaz
author_sort Francisca Ortiz Ruiz
collection DOAJ
description Extended working life (EWL) in old age is an increasingly prevalent phenomenon in aging populations. Gender inequalities constitute one of the most studied aspects of EWL. However, research on this issue has been predominantly quantitative, resulting in limited understanding of the situated meanings and experiences of work in old age for men and women. This article sheds light on the few studies that have explored gender inequalities in EWL qualitatively, systematically reviewing 47 articles. This study includes a meta-analysis of the papers reviewed, discusses the most frequent topics and content addressed by qualitative studies, and introduces a brief overview of the main findings on gender inequalities in the literature. These findings underscore that the literature has mainly been published in countries of the Global North, with data primarily focused on those nations. Additionally, there is an emphasis on research related to the meanings, decisions, policies, and narratives surrounding retirement, while only a limited number of articles have a defined theo­retical framework. Finally, the limited number of comparisons between countries suggests a need for further research from these perspectives. We conclude this systematic review by discussing the main findings, suggest­ing policy implications of our work and identifying gaps that should be addressed in future research.
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publishDate 2025-06-01
publisher Linköping University Electronic Press
record_format Article
series International Journal of Ageing and Later Life
spelling doaj-art-75bbd0a93d9b44ea8488a02c809ce0122025-08-20T03:25:56ZengLinköping University Electronic PressInternational Journal of Ageing and Later Life1652-86702025-06-0110.3384/ijal.1652-8670.5593Gender inequalities in extended working life: a systematic review of qualitative studies Francisca Ortiz Ruiz0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8538-4688Ignacio Cabib1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9918-8562Andrés Biehl2https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9795-8431Carlos Budnevich-Portales3Trinidad Cereceda4https://orcid.org/0009-0009-1721-7146Juan Pablo Ormeño5https://orcid.org/0009-0005-7586-3825Martina Yopo-Díaz6https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5886-8211Centro de Economía y Políticas Sociales, y Escuela de Gobierno y Administración Pública, Facultad de Ciencias Sociales y Artes, Universidad Mayor, Santiago, Chile.Instituto de Sociología & Escuela de Salud Pública, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.Instituto de Sociología, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, ChileDepartamento de Economía, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, ChileIndependent ResearcherInstituto de Sociología, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, ChileInstituto de Sociología, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile Extended working life (EWL) in old age is an increasingly prevalent phenomenon in aging populations. Gender inequalities constitute one of the most studied aspects of EWL. However, research on this issue has been predominantly quantitative, resulting in limited understanding of the situated meanings and experiences of work in old age for men and women. This article sheds light on the few studies that have explored gender inequalities in EWL qualitatively, systematically reviewing 47 articles. This study includes a meta-analysis of the papers reviewed, discusses the most frequent topics and content addressed by qualitative studies, and introduces a brief overview of the main findings on gender inequalities in the literature. These findings underscore that the literature has mainly been published in countries of the Global North, with data primarily focused on those nations. Additionally, there is an emphasis on research related to the meanings, decisions, policies, and narratives surrounding retirement, while only a limited number of articles have a defined theo­retical framework. Finally, the limited number of comparisons between countries suggests a need for further research from these perspectives. We conclude this systematic review by discussing the main findings, suggest­ing policy implications of our work and identifying gaps that should be addressed in future research. https://ijal.se/article/view/5593extended working livesgender retirementsystematic review qualitative research methods
spellingShingle Francisca Ortiz Ruiz
Ignacio Cabib
Andrés Biehl
Carlos Budnevich-Portales
Trinidad Cereceda
Juan Pablo Ormeño
Martina Yopo-Díaz
Gender inequalities in extended working life: a systematic review of qualitative studies
International Journal of Ageing and Later Life
extended working lives
gender
retirement
systematic review
qualitative research methods
title Gender inequalities in extended working life: a systematic review of qualitative studies
title_full Gender inequalities in extended working life: a systematic review of qualitative studies
title_fullStr Gender inequalities in extended working life: a systematic review of qualitative studies
title_full_unstemmed Gender inequalities in extended working life: a systematic review of qualitative studies
title_short Gender inequalities in extended working life: a systematic review of qualitative studies
title_sort gender inequalities in extended working life a systematic review of qualitative studies
topic extended working lives
gender
retirement
systematic review
qualitative research methods
url https://ijal.se/article/view/5593
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