Aging & Social Change: Ninth Interdisciplinary Conference

Abstract

Being retired affects individuals very much. It is not easy to leave a job done at certain hours for years. Men who are retired after an active working life experience various difficulties in adapting to the retirement life. In our country they face some difficulties during the retirement period. Choosing to adapt to domestic affairs, trying things that they have never done before, searching for an environment where they can perform their profession, and playing a facilitating role in maintaining their life at home are options for positive adaptation. The research question of this study considers men who have a profession and if retirement is perceived as emotionally collapsing or useless, as well as if there known processes of retirement? In this regard, in-depth interviews were conducted with eight retired engineers who had been retired for at least five years and were asked to make a comparison between their situation in the early days of retirement and their current situation. Also spouses of retired engineers were asked about their husbands’ cases to make a comparison. The data obtained from retired engineers says that firstly they did some things that they did not try before, secondly they wanted to work to earn money, and currently they create a daily routine in their own living environment to fulfill the needs of their families. In particular, they repair some devices in their houses, provide transport services for their family, and shop for kitchen needs.