Dissertation_Paula Aleksandrowicz_12 ... - Jacobs University

organisational level (like working conditions) or related to gender issues. The latter is
related to several factors. One is the availability of institutional vehicles for early exit. The
second one is the low level of institutional support provided to young families (Pfau-
Effinger et al. 2009: 200). The third one, interrelated with the other two, is the culturally
traded norm about the division of household duties (resulting in the “double burden” of
women) and the existence of the culturally accepted alternative role of grandmothers which
facilitate the “dual breadwinner/extended family care” model (ibid: 195, 199; Titkow et al.
2004; Heinen/Wator 2006: 194).
To sum up: that early exit is a gender issue in Poland shows in the 10-year divide in the
exit age women and men are orientated at.
A mixture of push and pull factors account for the specific pattern of early exit in
Poland. The most important are the prevalence of labour shedding in a situation of recently
privatised and quickly transforming economy, coupled with the uncertainty as to the future
availability of institutional early exit pathways. Another typically Polish motive of early
exit is feeling worn-out by the sweeping changes in the country.
It can be also observed that the is a polarisation in exit preferences depending on
working conditions.
Pension reforms have an impact on older workers insofar as workers tend to use
available options before expiry or worsening of conditions. In some other cases, the
inconsistent and contradictory movements in old-age pension policy moved even those
workers to exit early who would have otherwise wanted to continue work.
4.3.8. Impact of Legislative Changes
In this chapter, I will elaborate on the impact of legislative changes in the field of labour
law, disability pensions and old-age pensions upon personnel policy towards older workers
in Poland (for detailed information on those reforms, readers are referred to section 3.3.).
More specifically, I will expound on the issue whether a development towards age
management and creating options of continued employment is visible. At the end of this
chapter, I will assess hypothesis 1 and hypothesis 6.
I will distinguish the type of reaction of Polish firms to institutional changes as ´positive
reaction´, ´negative reaction´ and ´no reaction´. The first one will entail firm action which
may lead to the prolongation of working life – introduction of age management measures or
197