Toujours mieux à deux? : reconstruction identitaire lors de la retraite chez les femmes sans conjoint
Retirement is often thought of in terms of couplehood, and the absence of a spouse as a source of support is often described in the existing literature as an obstacle to a positive adjustment to the transition to retirement. This dissertation examines the experience of the transition to retirement of women without a partner, as their reality is not explored, to our knowledge, in the current Quebec context. It has three objectives: to describe how they experience the impacts of retirement, to identify the factors that play a role in the experience of this transition, and finally it aims to understand how the (re)construction of their identities is realized during their transition to retirement, knowing that our identity reconstructs throughout the life course. It is through life stories that we were able to identify these changes, more specifically through the professional and romantic trajectories of ten retired women we interviewed in this study. Despite the importance highlighted in literature that partners are an important source of support during the transition to retirement, our results emphasize that not having a partner is not, for the majority, a source of difficulty during this transition or on a daily basis. On the contrary, many women consider themselves happy with their transitions and in their daily lives in the absence of a spouse. We also note a feeling of pride amongst the participants, enabled by the fact that they consider themselves as independent, and capable of supporting themselves. Beyond this feeling of accomplishment, and despite the wish of some to engage in a potential future relationship, these women perceive very positively their transition to retirement. In the absence of a spouse, the organization of their daily lives can then be carried out without having to negotiate, make compromises or sacrifices, their plans for retirement and their well-being belonging only to themselves.
Retirement Identity Conjugality Women Life course Life stories