This study explored how middle-aged women approaching mandatory retirement perceive and prepare for retirement and how they reconstruct their lives. In-depth interviews were conducted with seven women who had long-term careers in the public and quasi-public sectors, and the data were analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s (2006) thematic analysis. The results revealed that the experience of the retirement transition consisted of three domains following a temporal progression: ‘Transition of Retirement Perception and Identity (Early Phase),’ ‘Coordination of Relational Responsibility and Practice (Middle Phase),’ and ‘Reconstruction of Life Centering on the Self After Caregiving (Late Phase).’ Participants began by recognizing the loss of their public self, navigated conflicts between responsibility toward others and self-care, and eventually established autonomous lifestyles. These experiences were integrally interpreted through the lens of Schlossberg’s (2004) Transition Theory and Gilligan’s (1982) Ethics of Care, providing a theoretical foundation for understanding retirement as a dynamic transition within relational and emotional contexts. By illuminating the psychological transition curve prior to actual retirement, this study holds significance in providing a practical basis for counseling and welfare interventions that reflect the unique characteristics of long-term female employees in the public sector.
