This chapter presents the findings of a qualitative empirical study aimed at exploring the work and relational experiences of a group of N = 13 economically inactive men, with particular attention to the reasons, meanings, and consequences associated with their condition of labor market inactivity. The thematic analysis of the interview transcripts was organized around several key themes: work, crisis, inactivity, the outcomes of inactivity, the impact of inactivity on family life, and future perspectives. The findings show that voluntary economic inactivity is a deliberate choice, made possible by adequate financial resources and motivated by work experiences perceived as sources of frustration, psychological distress, and loss of meaning. Participants describe leaving employment not as a sacrifice, but as an opportunity to regain well-being, personal time, and family balance. Inactivity thus emerges as a form of liberation from work models perceived as unsustainable, as well as an expression of a redefined relationship between work, identity, and quality of life.
Il presente capitolo riporta i risultati di uno studio empirico di tipo qualitativo volto a comprendere l’esperienza elazionale e lavorativa di un gruppo composto da N=13 uomini in condizione di inattività economica, approfondendo ragioni, significati e conseguenze generate dalla condizione di inattività lavorativa. L’analisi tematica delle trascrizioni è articolata intorno ad alcuni temi principali (il lavoro, la crisi, l’inattività, gli esiti dell’inattività, l’impatto dell’inattività sulla vita familiare, il futuro). I risultati mostrano che l’inattività lavorativa volontaria è una scelta consapevole, resa possibile da adeguate risorse economiche e motivata da esperienze lavorative vissute come fonte di frustrazione, malessere e perdita di significato. Gli intervistati descrivono l’uscita dal lavoro come un’opportunità di recupero del benessere, del tempo personale e dell’equilibrio familiare, più che come una rinuncia. L’inattività emerge quindi come una forma di liberazione da modelli lavorativi percepiti come insostenibili e come espressione di una ridefinizione del rapporto tra lavoro, identità e qualità della vita.
Gennari, M. L., Giuliani, C., Tamanza, G., Transizioni all’inattività. Implicazioni identitarie e familiari nell’esperienza maschile adulta., in Zanfrini Laur, Z. L. (ed.), (Im)perfetti sconosciuti. Uno studio transdisciplinare sugli uomini adulti che (non) lavorano e (non) vogliono lavorare., Vita e Pensiero, Milano, Milano 2026: 613- 643 [https://hdl.handle.net/10807/338877]
Transizioni all’inattività. Implicazioni identitarie e familiari nell’esperienza maschile adulta.
Gennari, Maria Luisa
Primo
;Giuliani, Cristina
;Tamanza, Giancarlo
2026
Abstract
This chapter presents the findings of a qualitative empirical study aimed at exploring the work and relational experiences of a group of N = 13 economically inactive men, with particular attention to the reasons, meanings, and consequences associated with their condition of labor market inactivity. The thematic analysis of the interview transcripts was organized around several key themes: work, crisis, inactivity, the outcomes of inactivity, the impact of inactivity on family life, and future perspectives. The findings show that voluntary economic inactivity is a deliberate choice, made possible by adequate financial resources and motivated by work experiences perceived as sources of frustration, psychological distress, and loss of meaning. Participants describe leaving employment not as a sacrifice, but as an opportunity to regain well-being, personal time, and family balance. Inactivity thus emerges as a form of liberation from work models perceived as unsustainable, as well as an expression of a redefined relationship between work, identity, and quality of life.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.



