Work, Retirement and Leisure PS277 – Lecture 14 Outline Older Workers – Satisfaction and Adaptation Retirement – History and Timing Retirement as.
Download
Report
Transcript Work, Retirement and Leisure PS277 – Lecture 14 Outline Older Workers – Satisfaction and Adaptation Retirement – History and Timing Retirement as.
Work, Retirement and
Leisure
PS277 – Lecture 14
Outline
Older Workers – Satisfaction and Adaptation
Retirement – History and Timing
Retirement as a Life Transition – Theory and
Satisfaction Research
Leisure and Volunteer Activities in Retirement –
Computer Usage, Volunteering
I. What Do We Know about
Age and Worker Satisfaction?
Data from Warr (1992),
1700 people in UK
Job characteristics like
decision scope, working
conditions, income
matter, but age still a
factor…what else may
explain?
Work life review may
become more positive,
overall life satisfaction
goes up, etc.
4.4
4.3
4.2
4.1
Job
Pos
4
3.9
3.8
3.7
18- 25- 35- 5024 34 49 64
SOC Model and Adaptations to Job Roles
in Workers (Abraham & Hansson, 1995)
Selection, Optimization and Compensation
Participants in this study were workers aged 40
– 69, both men and women. Completed
questionnaires on successful aging in the
workplace
Measured SOC as well as goal attainment and
“maintenance of performance and abilities”
SOC Example Items on the
Job Scales
Selection: I now try to focus my work efforts on a
narrower range of tasks.
I now try not to waste time on less important job
responsibilities.
Optimization: I now am more likely to participate in
training to polish rusty skills and abilities.
I now pay more attention to keeping up my work skills
and abilities.
Compensation: I now try to let others know about my
special skills and knowledge.
I now try to make my accomplishments more visible to my
boss.
Age Differences in Correlations
between SOC and Goal Attainment
Scale
< Age 50
> Age 50
Selection
.06
.23**
Optimization
.19
.45**
Compensation
.02
.23**
II. What Factors Influence the
Timing of Retirement?
Age and “expected norms”
Health – 1 to 3 yrs earlier for those in poor health
Having minor children
Financial resources to support retirement
Level of interest in work
Spouse patterns
Gender differences
Timing: Work Participation by Age
and Gender, 1950 to Present – US
Older men’s participation
declined over past 60
years, particularly after
age 64
Women’s participation
increased substantially
from 55 to age 64
(consistent with data for
younger workers)
These patterns might
change with current
economy!
Choosing Not to Retire?
About 15% of Canadians over 65 continue to work (2000)
Includes two groups: those who have never retired from
their long-term occupations and those who retired and
went into something new (often part-time)
Some people with very low benefits and skills continue
working out of necessity – might grow these days!
More of these are highly educated professionals who
resist retirement – e.g., doctors, lawyers, university
professors, etc.
Financial Support and
Retirement Policy - History
Old age pension legislation was introduced in Canada in
1927
65 was chosen as age of retirement in North America
because of German chancellor’s earlier policies –
somewhat arbitrary
Most people lived a much shorter life span in those days,
and many fewer people reached 65 and retirement at all
Social Security and first US recipient: 1940 was date of
first cheque issued in US. First US recipient was Ida
Fuller of Vermont, who paid in $22 into the system, lived
for 35 more years and drew out $21,000!
What about Mandatory
Retirement and Policies?
Should older university faculty be forced to retire? Is this
discriminatory?
Supreme Court originally held that it is under Charter of
Rights, but that this is justified under some conditions,
allowed provinces to decide what to do about this
individually
Ontario has moved to do away with mandatory retirement
quite recently (most other provinces too)
What do you think about this at universities? What might
be some arguments for and against?
III. Historical Theories of
Retirement Satisfaction
Crisis Theory: Loss of work leads to lower self-esteem,
identity crisis, withdrawal, illness, etc.
Continuity Theory: Not too big a deal, most people
have opportunities for satisfaction outside of work, and
show only modest change with retirement
Evidence in somewhere in the middle, but more positive
than negative overall – for men, investment in family roles
is a positive predictor of adjustment, for women, not so
Clearest predictor of negative outcomes is with lack of
control over retirement, due to job loss, poor health, etc.
Retirement Satisfaction – Some Key
Factors from Harvard Growth Study
(Vaillant, 2002)
Maintaining and replacing social networks
Rediscovering playful activities – grandchildren!
Creativity – much evidence that old can be creative
(Monet at 80, Franklin invented bifocals at 78, Darwin at
70) – everyday activities –gardening, building, etc.
Lifelong learning – taking a fresh look at things,
computers, technology
Life Transitions and Patterns of
Adjustment – What Are Some Keys?
Generally, normative changes that most go through –
e.g., transition to work, university, to parenthood
Age patterns in timing for normative changes are
expected, so some people are “off-time,” this can affect
how the experience feels, e.g., early or late retirement
Change is stressful, so some issues to be expected –
equilibrium is disrupted, then restabilizes
Balances of social support and personal control
needed to negotiate most successfully
Preparation for the transition, anticipating issues and
planning, is also important - e.g., retirement seminars
IV. Do Older Adults Disengage?:
Voluntary Association Memberships in
Later Adulthood (2000)
Historical Patterns of Decline in Voluntary
Association – Bowling Alone, Putnam
(2000)
Rates of civic involvement
in North America have
declined over the past 50
years
Some of this is
generational – WWII
generation has remained
higher than others - Baby
Boomers, etc., and higher
than previous generations
Trends for the future?
50
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Comm
un
Clubs
Trust
0 30 50 70
Average % Annual Volunteering
Rate by Age – Canada (2004)
50
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Rate
15-34
35-54
55-64
65+
Average Annual Hours Per Volunteer
by Age Group – Canada (2004)
250
200
150
# of Hours
100
50
0
15-34
35-54
55-64
65+
Retirement Activities, Health
and Life Satisfaction
Volunteering, especially helping others,
associated with positive health effects – lower
mortality rates for older adults linked to helping
rates in some studies (Oman et al., 1999)
Life satisfaction is linked to greater feelings of
social support, but an important component of
this is the chance to give support to others
Mrs. Perkett at 88