"At this point now": older workers' reflections on their current employment experiences.
Despite the frequently referenced graying of the U.S. workforce, we know relatively little about the work-related concerns and experiences of older workers--those aged 55+. This qualitative study addresses that gap by examining the current employment situations of a purposive sample of 37 older workers. Thematic content analysis revealed a vast diversity in the concerns and experiences of contemporary older workers, with participants being actively involved in all of the traditional stages of work-life development. Findings suggest a deepened or more nuanced view of the principal meanings of work--in particular, identity and social interaction--and highlight several negative aspects of later-life employment such as pension insecurity, unemployment, age discrimination, not having found one's "niche," and chronic interpersonal difficulties with co-workers. Findings are discussed against the backdrop of a rapidly changing workplace and dramatically shifting work-retirement trajectories in which job stability and predictable retirement are less common.
Noonan
Anne E
AE
Center for Research on Women, Wellesley College, Massachusetts 02481, USA. anoonan@wellesley.edu
D000368:Aged; D001294:Attitude to Health; D004522:Educational Status; D004651:Employment / Q000191:economics / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011287:Prejudice; D012179:Retirement / Q000191:economics*; D014478:Unemployment / Q000523:psychology*