No place for old women: a critical inquiry into age in later working life

Ann Therese Lotherington, Aud Obstfelder, Susan Halford

Research output: Contribution to journalArticle (Academic Journal)peer-review

7 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Western countries currently face pressing demands to transform the labour market participation of older workers, in order to address the pressing economic and social challenges of an ageing population. However, in this article we argue that our understanding of older workers is limited by a dominant discourse that emphasises individuals rather than organisations; and valorises youth as the performative aspiration for all workers, regardless of age. To see things differently, and to see different things, we offer a novel analytical synthesis that combines insights from post-foundational feminist theory, the 2007 film No Country for Old Men and an empirical study of older nurses working in the Norwegian public health-care system. Our aim is to provide the foundations for alternative interventions in the world of work that might underpin a more sustainable future for older workers.
Original languageUndefined/Unknown
Pages (from-to)1-23
Number of pages23
JournalAgeing and Society
Early online date11 Feb 2017
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jul 2017

Research Groups and Themes

  • Perspectives on Work

Keywords

  • ageing, organisations, gender, feminist theory, film

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