Affiliations: University of Lyon/IETL – CREAPT, University
Lyon 2, IETL, Lyon, France. CREAPT/CEE – Immeuble "Le Descartes", Noisy
le Grand, France
Note: [] Address for correspondence: Dominique Cau-Bareille, 64
allée de la tourmaline, 69 890 La Tour de Salvagny, France. E-mail:
[email protected]
Abstract: Objective: This paper presents research on the early retirement of
kindergarten teachers in France. We sought to understand the reasons for this
in a context which the government is putting in place measures to lengthen
people's working lives. Methods: In order to examine the difficulties teachers experience at
the end of their working lives, we conducted interviews focusing on job
constraints, health problems, and the impact work has on the private sphere,
with reference to the task system model put forward by Curie (2002). Participants: Eight females in their fifties were interviewed. Results: Despite their experience acquired over the years, the more
teachers age, the greater the human cost of their job. Health problems
increase, work-related fatigue worsens and they need more time to recover. The
teachers are also more affected by work-related constraints. From this
perspective, the menopause seems to aggravate work-related fatigue. The
teachers' feeling of personal effectiveness declines with age, causing them to
worry about the last few years of their working lives. This forces teachers to
make more and more adjustments to both their jobs and their private lives and
sometimes makes them cut their working hours and in extreme cases take early
retirement. Conclusions: The close links between the role of a female teacher
and a mother contribute to premature exhaustion phenomena. Several areas for
change are proposed.
Keywords: Gender, aging, end of career, health, ergonomy
DOI: 10.3233/WOR-2011-1265
Journal: Work, vol. 40, no. Supplement 1, pp. 15-30, 2011
