Overview
- Examines the effect of sexuality on older men’s working lives and careers
- Provides a forum for a different and often overlooked set of males to speak about their experiences in the work force
- Presents insightful analysis of the differences and similarities between gay men’s working histories and those of the traditional or hegemonic male
- Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras
Part of the book series: Genders and Sexualities in the Social Sciences (GSSS)
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About this book
This book examines the working lives, retirement plans, and old age experiences of three generations of gay men born 1924–86. It draws on data collected from interviews with 82 men in Australia, England, New Zealand, and USA. The first half of the book concentrates on the men’s working lives, while the second half of the book explores the interviewees’ concerns about old age and retirement. The author analyses the men’s contrasting stories, highlighting key generational differences in their experience of being ‘out’ in the workplace and the dominant work narratives which emerge in each age group. This important work will have cross-disciplinary appeal to scholars of sociology, gerontology, health sciences, gender, queer, and gay and lesbian studies, as well as practitioners.
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Keywords
Table of contents (7 chapters)
Reviews
“A major strength of the work is the combination of scholarly theoretical analysis and empirical research with practical questions that have potential to contribute to more effective practice, advocacy, and policy and program development for professionals. … The book is also a useful resource for students. Theoretical and empirical investigations of sexual diversity can help students exercise leadership as they emerge into the social work profession.” (Linda Briskman, Australian Social Work, February 26, 2019)
“This book is important because it highlights the necessity of considering intersectional identities within trans communities. … highly recommended for researchers, social workers, clinicians, and community activists who work with older gay and trans populations, or for anyone who wants to educate themselves on the lived realities of queer elders.” (Christine Smith, The Gerontologist, Vol. 59 (1), 2019)
“In this, Dr Peter Robinson’s third book, is a theoretically informed and empirically rigorous study of the working lives of three age cohorts of gay men. The qualitative interviews are revealing of both personal histories and the nature of work and society from the middle of the last century. They are also enliven the text: this is, indeed a ‘good read’. As well as making An original contribution to the academic literature, Dr Robinson’s work should be a must-read for policy makers, senior administrators and front-line professionals in the aged-care sector.” (Brian Costar, Swinburne University of Technology, Australia)“This third and final volume of Peter Robinson’s study of three waves of gay men (born between 1922 and 1980) focuses on work and old age, continuing to show how age shapes gay life. Here again we find the hallmark of his books: rich detail alongside shrewd commentary. There is much to be learnt from this landmark work.” (Ken Plummer, University of Essex,UK, and author of Telling Sexual Stories)
Authors and Affiliations
About the author
Peter Robinson is Senior Lecturer in History and Sociology at Swinburne University of Technology, Australia.
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Gay Men’s Working Lives, Retirement and Old Age
Authors: Peter Robinson
Series Title: Genders and Sexualities in the Social Sciences
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-43532-3
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan London
eBook Packages: Social Sciences, Social Sciences (R0)
Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2017
Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-137-43531-6Published: 01 August 2017
eBook ISBN: 978-1-137-43532-3Published: 20 July 2017
Series ISSN: 2947-8782
Series E-ISSN: 2947-8790
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XVIII, 291
Topics: Gender Studies, Sociology of Work, Sociology of Family, Youth and Aging, Social Anthropology