1. Instiute of Sociology, University of Lodz
Changing experiences of people in their 50s and 60s after the fall of communism
Piotr Szukalski
Instiute of Sociology, University of Lodz
Comparing the experiences of people in their 50s and 60s of the change after the fall of communism
Katowice,

2. Summary
The presentation is aimed at describing the most important changes emerging in the last 25 years which shaped experiences of Poles being in their 50s and 60
The Post-communist transformation reshaped „typical” life-course of the people
Comparing the differences in typical life-course of different birth-cohorts should be the best way to describe the emerging changes

3. What does the life course depend on?
Personological approach – „free” choice (agency), former experiences, resources
Institutional approach – opportunity structure definied by public policies, age norms, normative models of the life course

4. How can we analyse the life-course?
Longitudinal studies
Panel studies
Static analysis

5. People in their 50s living in urban areas, 1988-2011 (in %)
Age
Males
Females
1988
2002
2011
50-54
61,6
65,8
60,2
63,1
69,8
65,5
55-59
59,4
66,0
63,4
60,0
68,0
68,6
Source: Census data

6. Spatial mobility (internal migration per 1000 person, 1990-2014)

7. Spatial mobility (migration to rural areas per 1000 person, 1990-2014)

8. Health status Probability of dying in the next 10 year at age 50 and 60, 1990-2014
Source: CSO data,

9. Females as % of total population
Age
1988
2002
2011
50-54
51,8
51,7
50,9
55-59
52,7
53,0
52,1
Source: Census data

10. Legal marital status, males, 1988-2011 (%)
Year
Age
Single
Married
Widower
Divorced
Unknown
1988
50-54
5,9
88,0
2,3
3,8 -
55-59
4,5
88,4
3,7
3,4
60-64
3,6
87,6
6,1
2,8
65-69
3,2
85,2
9,5
2,2
2002
8,2
82,7
6,0
0,8
84,3
3,5
5,4
0,7
5,3
5,5
4,2
0,6
4,1
83,5
8,5
3,3
0,5
2011
12,9
77,1
2,0
7,2
9,6
79,3
7,0
6,6
81,6
0,4
5,0
82,4
7,9
4,4
0,3
Source: Census data

11. Legal marital status, females, 1988-2011 (%)
Year
Age
Single
Married
Widow
Divorced
Unknown
1988
50-54
4,6
77,9
12,0
5,5 -
55-59
5,1
71,4
18,8
4,7
60-64
6,3
61,2
28,9
3,6
65-69
7,1
48,6
41,7
2,6
2002
5,8
75,1
10,6
7,7
0,6
5,2
69,9
17,6
6,7
4,4
62,3
27,4
5,3
4,2
52,1
38,7
4,3
2011
74,6
8,7
9,5
0,5
6,1
70,2
14,4
8,9
0,4
5,6
63,4
23,2
7,5
0,3
54,0
35,3
5,7
0,2
Source: Census data

12. Informal cohabitation by age, 2002-2011
Source: Szukalski 2014

13. Health status Disability prevalence rate by age (per 1000), Poland 1978-2011
Males
Females
1978
1988
2002
2011
0–14 6 30 37 5 4 23 24
15–19 13 12 35 34 10 27 29
20–29 18 20 38 14 26
30–39 41 57 44 28 32 43 39
40–44 64 76
107 70 67 89 63
45–49
100
131
166
101 95
127
151 97
50–54
161
215
258
157
148
214
250
154
55–59
219
318
363
237
185
284
292
206
60–64
261
356
408
285
202
286
308
220
65–69
254
335
368
207
302
351
289
70–74
267
355
414
336
234
340
415
349
75–79
310
376
458
386
274
362
463
404
80+
360
409
472
428
327
416
495
446
Source: Census data

14. Education status by sex, 1988-2011
Age
Education – finished school
Males
Females
1988
2002
2011
50-54
unfinished primary
3,0
0,7
0,4
4,7
0,6
0,3
primary
44,3
21,4
11,7
53,7
25,3
12,3
vocational
23,0
36,2
43,2
8,6
25,9
secondary
19,5
26,5
26,9
25,1
34,1
35,8
higher
9,6
13,2
13,3
7,0
16,8
21,8
55-59
6,8
1,0
11,6
1,1
47,6
29,1
17,1
57,9
37,7
18,5
29,2
39,6
6,1
15,7
24,2
18,6
24,5
26,4
18,2
27,9
36,3
9,2
14,3
13,0
4,3
16,0
17,7
Source: Census data

15. Economic activity economic activity rate and unemploymet rate for people aged 50+, 1995-2014
Source: Bank Danych Lokalnych GUS

16. Economic activity Mean age at retirement, 1996-2014
Source: ZUS data,

17. Type of incomes, 1988-2011 (% of total)
Age
Type of income
Males
Females
1988
2002
2011
50-54
Work
75,6
52,7
65,3
65,9
45,1
60,2
non earning
23,8
37,0
20,0
26,0
40,7
18,0
old age pension
6,6
8,4
5,9
8,2
15,8
2,8
disability pension
15,9
20,3
9,4
16,3
21,1
8,0
Being maintained
0,6
8,3
6,7
12,5
15,4
55-59
60,7
35,5
53,7
41,7
17,4
31,0
38,8
57,9
33,4
49,2
73,9
53,1
14,8
15,0
9,9
25,0
49,5
33,6
21,3
30,7
16,6
18,8
21,7
11,1
0,5
5,0
6,2
9,1
7,4
11,4
Source: Census data

18. Unemployment benefits as a source of income, 2002-2011
Age
2002
2011 M F
Absolute number
50-54
37321
31597
25745
23384
50-59
17371
2613
24928
12973
Percentage
2,8
2,2
1,8
1,6
2,1
0,2
2,7
0,9
Source: Census data

19. Mothers 50+ of children under 18 being mainteined
Number (thous.)
By children number (%)
total number of children 1 2 3 4+
1988
387,0
80,2
15,4
3,2
1,2
490
2002
700,8
76,9
17,8
3,8
1,4
914,5
2011
721,0
78,9
16,7
3,3
1,1
916,6
Source: Census data

20. Size of households, 2002-2011 Age Number of people in hh
Average number 1 2 3 4 5+
2002
50-54
17,1
22,5
25,4
19,0
15,9
3,07
55-59
21,5
31,4
23,1
12,4
11,6
2,71
60-64
27,0
38,3
18,0
8,0
8,7
2,41
65-69
32,3
42,0
13,8
5,4
6,5
2,17
2011
15,5
24,0
18,8
18,6
3,19
19,5
31,2
22,8
13,0
13,5
2,83
24,3
37,5
19,1
8,8
10,3
2,54
30,8
40,6
14,7
6,0
7,9
2,28
Source: Census data

21. Apartments by type of ownership, one person household, 1988-2011
Type of apartment
1988
2002
2011
50-59
60-64
65-69
40-59
60-69
owned building
25,6
32,2
36,4
18,9
23,0
26,8
26,4
owned apartment
9,1
13,5
17,8
20,7
owned cooperative apartment
5,2
4,5
4,3
19,4
22,3
15,5
22,1
cooperative
17,7
12,9
10,2
8,5
6,1
2,7
3,3
rented apartment
4,4
3,1
3,2
21,1
20,1
23,1
19,0
subrenting
2,5
0,9
0,3
0,2
being relative of owner
6,4
8,0
13,1
10,9
6,6
Source: Census data

22. Apartments by type of ownership, multiple person household, 1988-2011
Type of apartment
1988
2002
2011
50-59
60-64
65-69
40-59
60-69
owned building
46,2
50,9
66,4
38,7
39,3
47,3
42,1
owned apartment
9,4
11,7
17,2
20,1
owned cooperative apartment
3,3
2,6
2,5
17,1
19,5
10,4
16,3
cooperative
17,0
9,5
7,8
12,9
7,0
3,1
3,6
rented apartment
0,9
1,1
15,6
15,5
15,3
12,7
subrenting
0,3
0,2
0,1
being relative of owner
1,8
2,7
4,5
5,5
6,6
4,3
Source: Census data

23. Conclusions
Multidimensional changes could be observed in life experiences of the people being in 50s and 60s in Poland
Both mentioned earlier approaches are useful tool to study premises and determinants of the changes