How do commercial lawyers construct and negotiate their identity in the transition to retirement?

Abstract

Retirement, a stable concept for much of the 20th century, is becoming more fluid as governments, organisations, and individuals seek to deal with the myriad of challenges associated with an ageing population that is living longer and is more highly educated than previous cohorts. The baby boomer cohort’s belief that they still have much to offer society is challenging static and policy-driven meanings of retirement. However, the cohort’s challenge is being made against a backdrop of an ageist society, where the close connection between retirement and chronological age, sees individuals who leave full- time employment as moving away from employment related positions of status, power, and perceived productivity. By exiting formal employment arrangements, retirees move to positions stigmatised as non-productive positions on the margins of society. The stigma and marginalisation of those retired is linked to arguments that those in occupations that are of high status, such as the professions and high-performance sport, resist retiring. The purpose of this research was to investigate the experiences of retirement for men in high status occupations.

This qualitative study draws on social constructionism, identity, life course transitions, and professionalism. Focusing on depth rather than breadth, this research explores these complex concepts using insights from in-depth interviews with four men from the legal profession. The four research participants identify as New Zealand Europeans, high earning ex-commercial lawyers transitioning to retirement or retired. The research asks how have these participants constructed and negotiated their identity in the transaction to retirement.

Underpinning the discussion were the three broad topic areas that emerged from the findings: the tyranny of ageism, commercial lawyers transitioning to retirement, the importance of work-related roles and non-work-related roles in the transition to retirement. Consistent with the literature, the findings demonstrate that the healthier and increased longevity of baby boomers highlights the much wider range of opportunities available in the transition stage between work and retirement. Opportunities that these four participants are embracing to different degrees. As a result, the participants’ experiences demonstrate that traditional understandings of retirement need to change. Retirement should not be seen as a fixed and one-dimensional life course transition. However, their decision-making is as much influenced by their personal attributes or essential identity as by their high-status legal professional work identity. Therefore, when considering the implications for high status professions, it is important to consider work and non-work identities influence on transitions to retirement decision making. This study highlights the insidious nature of ageism and its negative impact on the construction of identity in the transition to retirement.