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Volunteering in Later Life: From Disengagement to Civic Engagement

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Handbook of Sociology of Aging

Part of the book series: Handbooks of Sociology and Social Research ((HSSR))

Abstract

The topic of volunteering in later life has a long tradition in gerontology, perhaps because ­historically volunteering was one of the few formal roles available to older adults after leaving the workforce. Volunteer activity fit well with the “busy ethic” that shaped modern retirement (Ekerdt 1986) and was in line with the involvement promoted by activity theory (Havighurst 1963). Yet volunteering was considered a leisure activity (Musick and Wilson 2008), a discretionary role that might fill in for roles losses in employment and parenting. Recently, the discussion has changed, as an upsurge of academic and political interest in volunteering in later life begins to dominate the discourse on civic engagement.

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  1. National Academy on an Aging Society, Washington, DC, USA

    Greg O’Neill

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  1. Greg O’Neill
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  2. Nancy Morrow-Howell
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  3. Sarah F. Wilson
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Correspondence to Greg O’Neill .

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  1. Human Development and Family Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, 97331-2302, Oregon, USA

    Richard A. Settersten

  2. Dept. Sociology, University of Texas, Austin, University Station 1, Austin, 78712, Texas, USA

    Jacqueline L. Angel

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O’Neill, G., Morrow-Howell, N., Wilson, S.F. (2011). Volunteering in Later Life: From Disengagement to Civic Engagement. In: Settersten, R., Angel, J. (eds) Handbook of Sociology of Aging. Handbooks of Sociology and Social Research. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-7374-0_21

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