Work, Retirement and Leisure

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Work, Retirement and Leisure

• PS277 Lecture 14

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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

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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
  factorwhat else may explain?
• Work life review may become more positive,
  overall life satisfaction goes up, etc.

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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

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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.

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Age Differences in Correlations between SOC and
Goal Attainment
Scale lt Age 50 gt Age 50
Selection .06 .23
Optimization .19 .45
Compensation .02 .23
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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

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Timing Work Participation by Age and Gender,
1950 to Present US

• Older mens participation declined over past 60
  years, particularly after age 64
• Womens participation increased substantially
  from 55 to age 64 (consistent with data for
  younger workers)
• These patterns might change with current economy!

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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.

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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 chancellors 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!

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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?

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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.

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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

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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

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IV. Do Older Adults Disengage? Voluntary
Association Memberships in Later Adulthood (2000)
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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?

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Average Annual Volunteering Rate by Age
Canada (2004)
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Average Annual Hours Per Volunteer by Age Group
Canada (2004)
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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