New Challenges After Retirement: Taiwanese Men Retaking "Life Credits"
On the streets of Taiwan, one occasionally sees an elderly couple in their seventies waiting at a bus stop. Upon closer observation, you might notice the wife patiently teaching her husband how to read the route map on the sign and how to use a mobile app to check real-time bus arrivals. This seemingly ordinary scene reflects a common challenge faced by many Taiwanese men after retirement: relearning how to live.
In past societal views, men were typically seen as the family's financial pillars, dedicating most of their time and energy to their careers. Housework, transportation arrangements, and various daily chores were mostly handled by their wives. Consequently, after working for thirty or forty years, many men—though highly successful in their professional fields—find basic daily life skills unfamiliar, sometimes even struggling with tasks like taking a bus or registering for a hospital appointment.
After retirement, these "older men" must begin retaking their life credits. In addition to learning how to use public transportation, some have started entering the kitchen to learn simple cooking or practicing how to handle banking matters independently. These small tasks, which are effortless for most people, represent entirely new learning experiences for them. Through these practices, they gradually reduce their dependence on their spouses and begin to establish their own rhythm of life.
This transformation also brings a new mode of interaction to marital relationships. During the learning process, the wife's role shifts from caregiver to "teacher," while the husband needs to set aside his past sense of authority from the workplace and humbly accept guidance. Although minor frictions are inevitable during this teaching process, it also serves as a good opportunity for both spouses to rebuild their mutual understanding and plan their retirement life together.
Experts point out that learning to live independently is key to the quality of retirement life. For men who are "retaking their life credits," mastering life skills not only lightens the burden on their families but also boosts their own self-confidence. Retirement should not just be the end of a career; it is a brand-new beginning for exploring life and learning self-care. Through these efforts, they can make their later years richer and more free.