Marion Repetti

Marion Repetti is an Ordinary Professor and Head of the Social Work Institute at the University of Applied Sciences Western Switzerland (HES-SO), Valais-Wallis campus, School of Health Sciences (HESTS). She is based in Sierre, Switzerland, and has been actively contributing to the fields of gerontology, social work, and aging studies through her research, teaching, and leadership roles.

Professor Repetti's research focuses on critical aspects of aging and retirement in contemporary society. Her work examines retirement migration patterns, particularly how economic inequalities shape the decisions of retirees from Northern Europe to relocate to Mediterranean countries. She investigates the intersection of gender, class, and aging, challenging dominant narratives of "active aging" and exposing how these policies often reinforce existing social inequalities. Her research also addresses ageism, particularly as revealed during the COVID-19 pandemic, and explores the digital divide affecting older adults in rural Swiss communities.

Her recent publications show a clear trend toward examining the social dimensions of crises and transitions in later life. The pandemic has been a significant focus, with studies on how lockdown measures disproportionately affected vulnerable older populations, limiting their social connections and reinforcing ageist stereotypes. She has also expanded her research to consider the environmental dimensions of social work, examining how climate change creates new forms of socio-environmental inequalities that impact social work practice and education.

Professor Repetti leads significant research projects, most notably the VIVRA project (2019-2023) which investigated how seniors navigate the social and psychological challenges of retirement and beyond. This three-year study examined the role of social engagement in retirement communities for skill development, intergenerational knowledge transfer, and quality of life perceptions among seniors. The project received 188,852 CHF in funding from the Valais Institute of Social Work, University of Lausanne ISS, and other sources.