The culture of retirement in Lebanon: Obstacles and opportunities for addressing the transition to public and private sector post-employment life.

Year 2019, , 79 - 90, 31.12.2019

Zeina Chemalı Nellie Shıppen Romy Nehme Christina Borba

https://doi.org/10.5505/jaltc.2019.43531

Abstract

Retirees in Lebanon currently experience a number of socio-cultural and economic obstacles that limit their ability to experience retirement in a meaningful and productive way. The current paper draws on research and programming in Lebanon that was developed to understand and promote a healthy culture of retirement in Lebanon where the needs of retirees were explored by a joint initiative by the government and civil society. Results of two focus groups and the implementation of community enrichment pilot programs for retirees fed into the development of a framework to highlight the ways in which investments in retirees could be optimally realized at the national and municipal levels in Lebanon. Future plans for research and programming to test this model further were also generated as part of this overall project. These results provide a framework for how retirees may be further engaged in civil society and a roadmap for conceptualizing programs for retirees that need minimal large-scale government action.

Keywords

Retirement, social support, social norms, culture, intervention, Lebanon

Thanks

The authors would like to thank the Lebanese Ministry of Social Affairs Staff, especially the family Unit Staff, for their invitation and their generous human resources support. Without them, this work could not see the light. Special thanks to Ms. Dalale Doueihi, senior social worker, who started and developed the culture of retirement within the ministry and across Lebanon and continues to work diligently pushing frontiers and barriers related to this topic.

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