Abstract
As we move through life, our choices change. Elizabeth Fideler’s Aging, Work, and Retirement is a valuable study of how her sample of aging individuals chooses between working and retiring. The book is especially timely, Fideler feels, because record numbers of retirement-age workers are not retiring. If retirement is taken, there are still other choices to be made.
An expert on aging and retirement, the author presents data on the relationship between aging and workplace participation for her sample of professionals. In 2012 and 2014 Fideler published her findings on why retirement-age individuals continued to work. This book uses comparable data she collected in 2017, from 73 men and 95 women. Chapter Two presents the demographic profile of these respondents. There is little reference to the earlier studies.
In a Preface the author describes her methodology and summarizes subsequent chapters so readers can choose where to begin reading, based on their interests. She also lists the fields and professions most likely to find her work useful.
Her respondents have reached retirement age but prefer to be engaged in productive activities rather than opting for a post-work life of leisure. Many are “lifelong learners” (p. 29), which is an asset in continuing to work at the skilled jobs, paid or not, these older individuals prefer. Fideler uses a snowball sample, leading to a certain homogeneity among her respondents. While they differ among gender and in their specific occupations, the 168 respondents are relatively affluent, and 96 percent are white. Recognizing the limitations of her research, Fideler recommends two other books that give insights into the choices of less-privileged workers: Barbara Ehrenreich’s Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America and Alisa Quart’s Squeezed—Why Our Families Can’t Afford America.
While Fideler summarizes the characteristics of her sample in Chapter Three, a table presenting these and how these compare to national figures would be useful. Income data is found in Chapter Five and some scattered pages throughout but could have been usefully presented here. Her research is supplemented by data from the media; advocacy organizations for the aged, such as AARP; research institutes, for example, the Pew Research Center; and academic and U.S. government and UN sources. Her references could be of use to a reader looking for more details on the topics of aging, work, and retirement.
Why do retirement-eligible individuals continue to work? A table (p. 39) indicates that finances are not the most significant motivation. Job satisfaction is the most important reason to work, with women more likely to say they love their work, 79 percent compared to 59 percent of men.
The author presents profiles of several respondents and their new work lives. These include a variety of professionals: an urban planner, an anthropologist, a nutritionist, an oncologist, a radio announcer, and a masseuse who treats both humans and animals. Choosing to continue working is not solely a matter of one’s individual preference. Employers, Fideler contends, are finding they can benefit from retaining more experienced employees, providing more options for the older worker. Union support is mentioned several times as important for resolving retirement disputes with employers.
The health of older workers can be a constraint on decisions about retiring, discussed in Chapter Six. Staying on the job can confer health benefits that are both physical and psychological. Fideler has some cases to illustrate this, for instance, a 74-year-old male lifeguard and an 85-year-old female pole-vaulter.
The introductory chapter presents material on retirement trends, highlighted by descriptions of non-retiring older celebrities. Some international data are presented throughout the text, but some more comparative material would be useful, particularly in light of the widespread protests in France against the government’s proposed raising of the retirement age by two years.
Chapter Two has an interesting discussion of the different meanings “older” can have. Fideler stresses the importance to her respondents of life-long learning, done for a variety of reasons. A summary table would be useful. Chapters Three and Four elaborate on the reasons to keep working. Included here are significant gender differences in financial security. There are likely to be racial and class differences here as well, but her snowball sample precludes this information.
New terms reflect how retirement may unfold. For instance, there is partial, “bridge retirement” (p. 82), where one continues working but with fewer hours—at the employer’s discretion, however. The older adult may develop new, marketable skills and embark on a new career.
Not all is rosy for her respondents. In Chapter Seven, Fideler presents data on this. Aging bodies bring physical ailments and awareness of one’s mortality. Some respondents, more likely to be women, are caring for close relatives. Time pressures weigh on some. The challenges for older workers are discussed here in some detail. Here she discusses ageism, its meaning, prevalence, and consequences. Ageism, like other stereotypes, affects an aging worker’s own self-conception. Fideler notes the useful work of Ashton Applewhite, author of This Chair Rocks, and mentions national and international efforts to combat ageism, with some more reference to these in Chapter Eight. She also has material that disputes the stereotyping assumed by ageism. Her descriptions help counter ageist stereotypes that the elderly are not of much use except perhaps as babysitters and givers of financial assistance. There could be productive classroom discussions comparing this form of prejudice or discrimination with more familiar forms.
A summary at the end or in the introduction, using the lens of the “sociological imagination,” would help students see how social variables are implicated in the respondents’ choices. Among these factors are changing gender roles, policies governing social security, and the availability of pensions.
Implicit throughout is the significance of social class and race. Being relatively privileged means more choices later in life. Fideler notes, “Healthy, well-educated workers with higher incomes who enjoy their jobs are more likely to continue working” (p. 72). These choices are not as available to those working in blue-collar jobs providing less job satisfaction, fewer financial resources, and more physical demands. The role of unions is relevant to whether a job provides a measure of job and financial security and assistance in age discrimination employment problems.
The older worker’s own health can affect later-life choices, but having caregiver responsibilities also creates constraints, more likely for women than men. Societal support could lessen individual burdens.
Fideler’s notes and bibliography allow students and researchers to further explore the issues she raises. Her listing of “Chapter objectives” at the head of each chapter would be useful for students and instructors. Fideler notes (p. v) who would especially find this book useful. While for many students retirement planning is probably not much of an interest, this book will possibly lead to discussions they can have with their own relatives and might be an impetus to thinking about their seemingly far-off futures.