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Institute for Social Gerontology
The Institute for Social Gerontology was founded on October 1, 1998, for further development of research in gerontology in Japan. It has been undertaking international interchange activities, awareness programs, information supplying services, and studies and research on social gerontology including both Japanese and cross national studies.
Presently, it is engaged in research on various problems facing societies with growing elderly population, based around the two studies explained below.
1. Research on Retired Persons
The research is focused on persons who are retiring from one's major company within their job career and are in the process of completely retiring from work. The objective of the research is to find out the conditions under which these persons at the doorsteps of elderly years may smoothly enter it.
Although many of them are healthy, economically stable, and possess socially valuable skills, there are yet few opportunities for them to make use of their skills in Japan at the moment. It is believed that creating new roles which may replace former roles in the job market, and to have them actively engaged in different roles will become more and more necessary for society and for individuals in a sense that they will possess a meaning of life.
The research is done to examine what type of social system to develop in order to realize this.
2. Research on Middle-aged Married Couples
This age group is also where likelihood of divorce is high, as it has lately been much speculated by the media. A husband who has worked hard in the company finds, when he comes home after retirement, that his wife has established a life without him, and face the reality with shock that there is nowhere for him to go.
Post-retirement is a time where both husband and wife reevaluate and rebuild their relationship with each other. It is the goal of this study to investigate the problems held by married couples of this age group.
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