Cross-cultural perspectives on the concept of retirement: an analytic redefinition

A cross-cultural valid analytic definition of retirement remains elusive in gerontology despite a long tradition of research on the topic. Inadequate attention has been paid to consistently defining the key concepts used to examine retirement and to specifying its occurrence in non-Western, non-industrial societies. This paper critically reviews basic cultural tenets in the notion of retirement, and proposes a more comparatively valid definition. It then proposes a three part comparative categorization by exploring retirement in contemporary Western nations and comparing it with retirement-like practices from a range of non-Western cultures including Thai, Chinese, Ladak, Fulani, Lusi and Aymara.