Baby boomers at the cusp of their academic career: storming ahead, hanging on, or calling it a day

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to find out what academics do when approaching retirement, and why; as well as to reflect on the process and consequences of reaching a retirement decision–for themselves, the university system, and the wider community. Our study concentrates on baby boomers, as this large cohort starts to retire or become eligible to do so. Employing a qualitative approach grounded in an interpretive paradigm, data collection took place during 2017–2018 using semi-structured interviews with 45 Social Science Business School academics who have worked in Anglo-Saxon and Latin European universities (the USA, the UK, Spain and France). The findings suggest four core clusters of late career trajectories, with the majority wishing, and planning, to continue work. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed and suggestions for further research outlined.