Level of choice in older women's decisions to retire or continue working and associated well-being

Work Preferences, Control, and Independence among Midlife and Older Adults in Aotearoa/New Zealand

In 2023, current life expectancy for adults aged 65 and over in Aotearoa/New Zealand ranged from 84.6 to 89.2 years. Mandatory retirement has been abolished, but pension age eligibility remains at age 65. However, some older adults prefer to continue working, often experiencing a mismatch between current and preferred work statuses. The current study used data drawn from the 2020 wave of the New Zealand Health, Work and Retirement study (HWR; N  =  3,916; Mage  =  66.84) to examine associations between work preferences and perceptions of control and independence. We found that those not working but who preferred to work reported the lowest levels of perceived control and independence. Conversely, work preference match and higher levels of perceived control and independence were positively related to life satisfaction. The current study adds to our understanding of the centrality of work status, perceived control, and perceived independence among midlife and older adults, particularly in Aotearoa/New Zealand.

Older Canadians' Identity and Well-Being in Retirement

Retirement can be a time of identity disruption for many older adults. Identity process theory (Whitbourne et al., 2002) states that age-related changes, such as retirement, can prompt an individual to incorporate new information about themselves into their personal identity using one of three identity process: assimilation, accommodation, and balance. Additionally, individual identity and the manner in which individuals retire-voluntary or involuntary-are associated with post-retirement well-being (Newton et al., 2018). The current study examined the relationship between identity processes, planned/unplanned retirement, and hedonic (life satisfaction) and eudaimonic (meaning in life) well-being in a sample of retired Canadians. Results indicated that identity accommodation and balance were associated with both types of post-retirement well-being, whereas unplanned retirement was consistently only related to life satisfaction. This study emphasizes the importance of including individual difference factors when examining older adults' well-being and the utility of measuring well-being in multiple ways.

The early retiree divests the health workforce: a quantitative analysis of early retirement among Canadian Registered Nurses and allied health professionals

BACKGROUND

Early retirement (before age 65) is the norm among registered nurses (RNs) and allied health professionals (AHPs) employed in Canada's public system. As a country whose population is rapidly aging, it is in Canada's best interest to try and extend the work lives of RNs and AHPs.

OBJECTIVES

(1) To test the predictive validity of our conceptual model of early retirement among publicly employed, Canadian RNs and AHPs and (2) to compare, across professions, model fit and factor significance METHODS: We conducted multivariable logistic regression in two data sets, one consisting of 483 retired RNs and the other of 177 retired AHPs. The number of AHP respondents limited our ability to comprehensively test the model.

RESULTS

Eighty-five percent of RNs and 77% of AHPs had retired early. (1) Results indicate that 25% of variance in RN early retirement and 19% of variance in AHP early retirement was explained by included variables. (2) Organizational restructuring increased odds of early retirement by more than 100% among RNs and AHPs. Among RNs (but not AHPs), both financial possibility and caregiving responsibilities predicted early retirement at statistically significant levels, while a "desire to stop working" predicted retirement at or after 65 years of age.

CONCLUSIONS

Clearly, there is much more to learn about RN and AHP pathways to early retirement. Further research, ideally research exploring the role of workplace characteristics, attitudes, and beliefs towards retirement and work-related factors, could deepen our understanding of the phenomenon of RN/AHP early retirement.