As populations age and pension systems come under pressure, understanding how people experience retirement has become important. This dissertation shows that retirement is not a single, isolated moment, but a process shaped by the lives people lead long before they stop working. The findings reveal that inequalities in retirement do not suddenly emerge at the end of a career. Inequalities build up over decades, influenced by gender, education, and the time and place in which people live. Social policies also play a role. Social policies can reduce inequality, but they can also unintentionally reinforce it depending on who they support and who they leave out. For example, in countries with stronger social protection, including the Netherlands, women who worked part-time while raising children are more likely to retire for voluntary reasons, such as to enjoy life, than full-time working parents. Yet, women who spent long periods outside paid work have less choice in when and why they retire, even in these supportive, generous systems. These findings suggest that social policies should support diverse trajectories and address cumulative disadvantage across the life course, while considering gender differences, so that later life can be a stage of security and choice for all.
Mustafa Fırat (1991) obtained a BA in Translation Studies and an MA in Psychology from Bogazici University, Turkey and an MSc in Psychology from the University of Alberta, Canada. He completed his PhD in Sociology at Radboud University, the Netherlands as part of the Interuniversity Centre for Social Science Theory and Methodology (ICS).