Chapter 6 Retirement in transition

In this dissertation I have investigated certain aspects of retirement experiences and early post-retirement lives of men and women in the Netherlands during the last two decades. The main research question was how the lives of Dutch men and women are influenced by retirement and shaped after retirement, and to what extent the changing social context has affected retirement experiences during these decades. Previous researchers on retirement experiences have questioned the extent to which findings apply to other points in historical time. Yet little was known about the influence of a changing social context on consequences of retirement, post-retirement life, and the way changes are perceived by retired men and women. This study investigated life domains that appear to be affected by the transition to retirement: work-related ties, financial satisfaction, postretirement sport participation and post-retirement well-being. These topics were addressed in the previous four chapters. In this final chapter I summarize the results of the four empirical studies. Furthermore, I discuss the theoretical implications, methodological strengths and weaknesses, and societal relevance of these studies.