The Retired Men’s Club of Arlington rents a hall at St. Camillus Church. The club serves neighboring towns, and its 648 members each pay a $25 annual fee.lifestyle
Finding a new community in Retired Men’s Clubs
Life after work
The Retired Men’s Club of Arlington rents a hall at St. Camillus Church. The club serves neighboring towns, and its 648 members each pay a $25 annual fee.By Jay Fitzergald
Globe Correspondent /
November 5, 2011
Text Size:
- –
- +
This story is from BostonGlobe.com, the only place for complete digital access to the Globe.
Page 2 of 2 --
Indeed, finding clubs for retired women is not easy.
Marie Waller, treasurer and acting president of the Retired Women’s Club of Milford (Conn.), said her 30-member group has existed for nearly 28 years. It recently changed its name from “Retired Professional Women’s Club of Milford’’ because too many potential members thought it was an exclusively white-collar organization, she said.
“We’re open to anyone,’’ said Waller, a retired law office secretary. “There’s a need for the club. There’s camaraderie, and it makes sense.’’
Waller said she has no explanation about why there aren’t as many formal “retired women’s clubs’’ as there are for men.
Stacy Blake-Beard, an associate professor at Simmons College’s School of Management, thinks she knows why.
“Women network differently,’’ said Blake-Beard, who specializes in the study of gender and mentoring within society. “Women have their own activities and groups. But they usually do it through existing civic organizations, charities, and town boards. They just don’t call it a ‘retired’ women’s group.
Jay Fitzgerald can be reached at jayfitzmedia@gmail.com. 
© Copyright 2013 Globe Newspaper Company.
