Siniša Zrinščak - Böcker

Most European countries have experienced labour market reforms at varying times leading to extended working life and a postponement of retirement age. This book provides a gender perspective on the impact of extended working life on the different dimensions of well-being, the factors which can limit extended working life, and the working conditions of older workers.Over the course of 11 chapters the book explores factors that can limit access to paid work or affect working conditions for older workers, including care for dependent individuals, negative stereotypes surrounding aged workers and poor health. It also investigates differences in working conditions for older workers by gender compared to other groups of workers and across European countries including case-studies from Austria, France, Spain, Poland, Croatia, Albania and Turkey. It will be of interest to all scholars and students of social policy, sociology, gender studies and labour studies more broadly.

Most European countries have experienced labour market reforms at varying times leading to extended working life and a postponement of retirement age. This book provides a gender perspective on the impact of extended working life on the different dimensions of well-being, the factors which can limit extended working life, and the working conditions of older workers.Over the course of 11 chapters the book explores factors that can limit access to paid work or affect working conditions for older workers, including care for dependent individuals, negative stereotypes surrounding aged workers and poor health. It also investigates differences in working conditions for older workers by gender compared to other groups of workers and across European countries including case-studies from Austria, France, Spain, Poland, Croatia, Albania and Turkey. It will be of interest to all scholars and students of social policy, sociology, gender studies and labour studies more broadly.

Religious freedom has become increasingly important across the global spectrum over the past decades but has remained a contested concept. This book fills the gap in the scholarship on religious freedom by focusing on sociological dimensions and research methods.Chapters in this book present data and case studies from Italy, Russia, Iran, Israel, South Korea, and the United States, encompassing a broad geographical scope, and highlight three main issues. The first is the deep and persistent gap between normative and actual practices. The detailed analyses bring insights into how religious freedom is understood and implemented in various contexts and its meaning in everyday life. The second one is the complex interplay of various religious and secular actors in each society. Chapters focus on how it is essential to study how states define religious freedom and the impact of other actors, such as nongovernmental organisations, religious institutions, communities, leaders, and members of various religious/non-religious groups. The third is the role of rival ideologies and the impact of extraordinary social events, such as the COVID pandemic, which can considerably change how religious freedom is conceptualised and implemented.The book will be a key resource for academics, researchers, and advanced students of Religion, Sociology, Comparative Studies, Research Methods and Social Sciences. The chapters included in this book were originally published as a special issue of Religion, State and Society.

Religious freedom has become increasingly important across the global spectrum over the past decades but has remained a contested concept. This book fills the gap in the scholarship on religious freedom by focusing on sociological dimensions and research methods.Chapters in this book present data and case studies from Italy, Russia, Iran, Israel, South Korea, and the United States, encompassing a broad geographical scope, and highlight three main issues. The first is the deep and persistent gap between normative and actual practices. The detailed analyses bring insights into how religious freedom is understood and implemented in various contexts and its meaning in everyday life. The second one is the complex interplay of various religious and secular actors in each society. Chapters focus on how it is essential to study how states define religious freedom and the impact of other actors, such as nongovernmental organisations, religious institutions, communities, leaders, and members of various religious/non-religious groups. The third is the role of rival ideologies and the impact of extraordinary social events, such as the COVID pandemic, which can considerably change how religious freedom is conceptualised and implemented.The book will be a key resource for academics, researchers, and advanced students of Religion, Sociology, Comparative Studies, Research Methods and Social Sciences. The chapters included in this book were originally published as a special issue of Religion, State and Society.

Although demographic change has been a widely discussed topic for decades, its scope, social impact and related policy responses leave us with many unresolved social issues. Demographic change is a reality for all European societies but the ways in which it is taking place differ from country to country. Active ageing both as a concept and policy response to the demographic ageing of populations has been widely debated, researched and utilised, informing both policy and practice, and providing a common narrative framework to ageing. However, there continues to be a lack of clarity around the precise meaning of ‘active ageing’.This book explores the way in which social work is critically engaging with the theme of active ageing, in light of, or maybe as a reaction to, the policy responses witnessed within the context of large-scale and rapid demographic change. This book was originally published as a special issue of the European Journal of Social Work.

Although demographic change has been a widely discussed topic for decades, its scope, social impact and related policy responses leave us with many unresolved social issues. Demographic change is a reality for all European societies but the ways in which it is taking place differ from country to country. Active ageing both as a concept and policy response to the demographic ageing of populations has been widely debated, researched and utilised, informing both policy and practice, and providing a common narrative framework to ageing. However, there continues to be a lack of clarity around the precise meaning of ‘active ageing’.This book explores the way in which social work is critically engaging with the theme of active ageing, in light of, or maybe as a reaction to, the policy responses witnessed within the context of large-scale and rapid demographic change. This book was originally published as a special issue of the European Journal of Social Work.

This volume highlights three intertwined aspects of the global context of Orthodox Christianity: religion, politics, and human rights.