Work becomes increasingly important to kibbutz members as they age, a new study found. That’s in contrast to the general Israeli population, where work becomes less significant as individuals grow older. “In kibbutz society, the idea of retiring and being pensioned off still has not taken root,” said the study’s author, Yifat Silber, a graduate student in the University of Haifa’s sociology department. “Kibbutz members feel they must continue to work at any cost, under any condition, because this conforms to kibbutz norms.” Silber also found that nearly 84 percent of kibbutz members over age 60 wanted to continue working even when there was no economic need. The kibbutz movement recently adopted marketplace-like norms, including forced retirement, according to the university.
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