Orlaith Tunney

Orlaith Tunney is a Researcher at the Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute (NIDI-KNAW) with affiliation to the University of Groningen. She holds an M.Sc. and PhD in social science with a background in psychology, focusing her research on work and retirement, successful aging, and the impact of financial scarcity on behavior and well-being.

Dr. Tunney's primary research interests center on the changing nature of retirement and its effects on the welfare and lifestyles of older adults. Her work examines how cultural identification, particularly among baby boomers who grew up during the 1960s and 1970s counterculture movements, influences perspectives on retirement. She investigates how retirement impacts leisure activities, career evaluations, and overall well-being, with particular attention to how financial constraints affect decision-making in later life stages.

Her publication record shows a consistent focus on retirement patterns, employer perspectives on post-retirement employment, and generational differences in retirement expectations. Recent work (2022-2024) has examined how baby boomers view retirement as either a time for leisure or a new beginning, with cultural identification playing a significant role in shaping these perspectives. She has also conducted important research on employer motivations for hiring workers beyond normal retirement age, identifying workplace norms, organizational characteristics, and concerns about career opportunities for younger workers as key factors.

Dr. Tunney collaborates extensively with colleagues at NIDI and the University of Groningen, particularly with Hanna van Solinge and Kène Henkens, appearing as lead or co-author on numerous publications in journals including The Journals of Gerontology, Research on Aging, and Work, Aging and Retirement. Her research employs both quantitative survey methods and demographic analysis to understand the complex interplay between cultural context, individual choices, and structural factors in shaping retirement experiences.