Does removing default retirement ages benefit individuals? A comparative empirical case study of the university sector
International Journal of Discrimination and the Law
33 Pages Posted: 4 Mar 2021
Date Written: March 4, 2021
Abstract
In 2011, the UK government abolished the national default retirement age. While this could support extended working lives and promote individual choice, it could also be a neoliberal ‘ploy’ to individualise the risks of old age. The question, then, is what impact does the removal of mandatory retirement have in practice: does it help to promote individual choice and autonomy? Or does it simply lead to work intensification and the individualisation of the risks of demographic change? Or both, perhaps simultaneously?
Drawing on original qualitative and quantitative empirical data from UK and USA universities, this article considers the impact of removing mandatory retirement ages on individual workers in higher education. It argues that legal reform may have promoted or encouraged work intensification in universities, including through an increased focus and use of performance management. Thus, in practice, the consequences of removing retirement ages for individuals are mixed.
Keywords: age discrimination, retirement age, universities, work, intensification, performance management, United Kingdom
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