Overview

"The Baby Boomer generation is facing a time of heightened uncertainty. Blessed with unprecedented levels of education, health, and life expectancy, many hope to contribute to society after their retirement. Yet they must also navigate ambiguous career exits and retirement paths, as established scripts for schooling, parenting, and careers continue to unravel. In Encore Adulthood, Phyllis Moen presents the realities of the ""encore"" life stage - the years between traditional careers and childraising and old age. Drawing on large-scale data sets and interviews with Boomers, HR personnel, and policymakers, this book illuminates the challenges that Boomers encounter as they transition from traditional careers into retirement. Beyond data analysis, Moen discusses the personal impact for Boomers' wellbeing, happiness, and health when they are unable to engage in meaningful work during their encore years, as well as the potential economic loss that would occur when a large, qualified group of people prematurely exit the workforce. Moen concludes with proposals for a range of encore jobs that could galvanize Boomers to take on desirable and sought-after second acts, emphasizing meaningful work over high-paying jobs and flexibility over long hours. An important analysis of an understudied and new life stage, Encore Adulthood makes an important contribution to the existing scholarship on careers, work, and retirement."

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9780199357277

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Reviews

I think this work will have an impact on the way scholars think about the life course and the way professional advocates, policymakers, and practitioners respond to longer lives. Nancy Morrow-Howell, Gerontologist

In Encore Adulthood, Phyllis Moen-our preeminent scholar of the emerging life course-illuminates the bonus decades opening up between middle years and anything resembling old age. Beautifully written and filled with moving stories, Moen's book offers insights for individuals navigating this new, exciting, but often poorly understood chapter, and for societies determined to make the most of the longevity revolution. This is a landmark book, one destined to reshape our thinking about the new map of life. -Marc Freedman, author of The Big Shift and CEO of Encore.org Phyllis Moen opens our eyes to the emergence of this entirely new life stage, illuminating both the challenges it poses and the opportunities it offers as full-time paid work and family-building come to an end. Social scientists, policy makers, and individuals of all ages should pay close attention and follow the lead of this pioneering work. - Kathleen Gerson, author of The Unfinished Revolution Conventional adulthood unravels and encore adulthood emerges. Moen, with great insight, describes in this masterful book the social construction of the past and the possibilities of an enriched and fully engaged future for older men and women. -Lisa Berkman, Thomas D. Cabot Professor of Public Policy and Epidemiology, Harvard University

I think this work will have an impact on the way scholars think about the life course and the way professional advocates, policymakers, and practitioners respond to longer lives. * Nancy Morrow-Howell, Gerontologist *

Author Information

Phyllis Moen is Professor of Sociology at the University of Minnesota where she holds a McKnight Presidential Endowed Chair.

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