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Swiss Retirees as “Active Agers”: A Critical Look at this New Social Role

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Abstract

Similar to other countries in the European Union, contemporary Switzerland faces concerns about an ageing population, and the policy framework of active ageing is one response. Today’s retirees are asked to actively participate in society in ways that are recognized as social contributions. We argue, however, that the redefinition of the role of retiree to be an “active ager” rests upon gender inequalities, among others. As a result, this framework can reinforce the exploitation of elders, especially old women. To illustrate our argument, we draw on interviews conducted among Swiss retirees to demonstrate the ways that active ageing ignores that work in which they are engaged already, while it also rests upon and reshapes gender inequalities in later life.

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Notes

  1. Implemented in 1948, Switzerland’s old age pension policy is comprised of Old Age Insurance (AVS), a pay-as-you-go system that provides limited protection for a category of people considered to be old enough to have the right to basic social protection. Contributions to this insurance are based on earnings, and benefits vary between 1175 and 2350 Swiss francs a month in 2017. Since its implementation, the AVS has been revised 10 times. During the 1980s, this “first pillar” protection was complemented by two other old age policies (“second” and “third pillars”). One is an occupation-based insurance, to which both employers and employees must contribute once an annual income level is met (21,150 Swiss francs in 2017); benefits are based on earnings. The other is a voluntary savings plan that, if used, gives contributors some tax relief Insurance Office nd). Again, the ability to contribute to this savings is based on earnings, as are eventual benefits.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, 24060, USA

    Toni Calasanti

  2. Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland

    Marion Repetti

  3. Swiss National Science Foundation, Berne, Switzerland

    Marion Repetti

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  1. Toni Calasanti
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  2. Marion Repetti
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Correspondence to Toni Calasanti.

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Calasanti, T., Repetti, M. Swiss Retirees as “Active Agers”: A Critical Look at this New Social Role. Population Ageing 11, 23–41 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12062-017-9212-4

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