Handbook of the Sociology of Sexualities

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.