Downsized expectations: Older women coping with job loss.
Item
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Title
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Downsized expectations: Older women coping with job loss.
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Identifier
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AAI9732919
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identifier
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9732919
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Creator
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Gilberto, Linda Marie.
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Contributor
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Adviser: Irwin Epstein
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Date
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1997
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Social Work | Women's Studies | Psychology, Clinical
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Abstract
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Despite the dramatic waves of layoffs sweeping America, little professional research has been conducted on the effects of current labor market restructuring on older women. Yet continued downsizing trends may mean substantial emotional and financial hardships for increasing numbers of older women with long work histories.;This qualitative study explored the experiences of involuntarily unemployed women age 50 and over with long work commitments who wanted or needed to find new employment. The study examined their psychological reactions to job loss, coping behaviors, barriers to reemployment, use of community services, job hunting strategies and reemployment experiences. In-depth interviews were conducted with eighteen women between the ages of 51 and 69 and five service providers who had extensive experience with this population.;Job loss after age 50 appeared to take a significant emotional toll on most study participants. The scope and severity of reactions and the ability to find a new job varied greatly, apparently influenced by a number of environmental, demographic and personality factors.;Key environmental influences included the nature of the local job market, personnel practices of former employers, age discrimination in employment and the adequacy of community services for the unemployed. Unmarried women and those in traditionally low-paid occupations appeared more likely to suffer psychologically and financially. Nearly 65% of the women faced moderate to severe financial problems, such as the threat of bankruptcy, depletion of savings and lapsing of health insurance.;A pattern of personal attributes seemed to influence the likelihood of finding a job. In addition to possessing a strong set of work skills, those successful in finding new employment were willing to downsize their job expectations, accepting jobs with less salary, fewer benefits, and/or less security. They also exhibited many of the stress-resisting traits of commitment, control and challenge associated with Kobasa's hardy personality (Kobasa, Maddi, & Kahn, 1982).;Coping with job loss by older women emerged a complex process rooted in situational as well as personal dynamics.;Therefore, alleviating the problems of older unemployed women demands that social workers and other concerned professionals take multi-faceted approaches to program planning and policy.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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D.S.W.
