Analysis of the 2002 National Study of the Changing Workforce to identify factors that explain variation in the life satisfaction of older workers.
key research question
- What factors explain the variation in life satisfaction among older workers?
Selected Findings
In 2002, among US workers aged 50 or older:
- 16% had a graduate or professional degree.
- 79% reported that they are in good or excellent physical health.
- 82% had health insurance paid in part/entirely by their employers.
- 72% have employers who contribute to pension/retirement plans.
- 19% have a high level of access to flexible work arrangements.
In 2002, among US workers aged 50 or older, the odds of being very satisfied in life are:
- 61% higher for those who have a high level of flexibility at the workplace.
- 66% higher for females than for males.
- 177% higher for those in good or excellent health than those in poor or fair health.
- 145% higher for those living with spouses/partners than for those in other living arrangements.
In 2002, among US workers aged 50 or older:
- 22% of workers reporting they have “extra money after their monthly expenses” have high level of flexibility at the workplace in comparison to the 14 percent of those who do not have “extra money after their monthly expenses”.
publications
- Issue Brief 13: "Quality of Employment and Life Satisfaction: A Relationship that Matters for Older Workers" by Jessica K. M. Johnson, Marcie Pitt-Catsouphes, Elyssa Besen, Michael A. Smyer, and Christina Matz-Costa (March 2008)
contact
For questions of information regarding the Older Workers and Life Satisfaction Project, please contact:
Chad Minnich, Assistant Director, Marketing/Communications
minnicch@bc.edu | +1 . 617 . 552 . 3122
the older workers and life satisfaction project team
To schedule a conversation with any of our staff, please contact Chad Minnich, Assistant Director, Marketing & Communications, at 617-552-3122, or minnicch@bc.edu.
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Elyssa Besen
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Research Assistant Elyssa Besen is a research assistant at the Sloan Center on Aging & Work. Her primary work is on the Age & Generations Study. In addition to her work at the center, Elyssa is a doctoral student in the Applied Developmental and Educational Psychology program at Boston College. Her research interest is the role of work in adult development. |
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Jessica K. McCabe Johnson, MSW, MPA |
Research Assistant Jessica K. M. Johnson is a doctoral student at the Boston College Graduate School of Social Work. She received her BA from Boston College and her MSW and MPA from Columbia University. Her research interests are in the areas of aging and social security, the health and well-being of elders, cross-cultural and cross-national gerontology, social networks, and poverty. |
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Christina Matz-Costa, MSW
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Research Associate Christina Matz-Costa is a research associate at the Sloan Center on Aging & Work at Boston College, where she is in charge of data management and analysis for the Age & Generations Study and the National Study of Business Strategy and Workforce Development. Christina is also a doctoral candidate in the Boston College Graduate School of Social Work. Her research interests include employee engagement, productive aging, work-family issues, employer response to the aging of the workforce, quantitative data analysis and multi-level modeling. |
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Marcie Pitt-Catsouphes, PhD
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Director Marcie Pitt-Catsouphes directs the Sloan Center on Aging & Work at Boston College. She is an Associate Professor in the Graduate School of Social Work, and has appointments at the Boston College Carroll School of Management and the Business School at Middlesex University in London. She was the Co-Principal Investigator for the 2006 National Study of Business Strategy and Workforce Development and the 2007-2008 Age & Generations Study. Her current work includes oversight of the 2009 Talent Management Study. She will be leading the 2010 Generations of Talent study with colleagues from around the world. She was invited to the 2005 White House Conference on Aging as an issue expert, and recently co-edited a special issue of Generations (2007) that focused on aging and work. Dr. Pitt-Catsouphes was a recipient of the 2007 Work-Life Legacy Award. She serves on several boards and advisory committees, including the National Advisory Committee for Workplace 2010 at Georgetown University, the Strategy Board for the Association of Work/Life Professionals at the World of Work, and the Purdue Center for Families. Dr. Pitt-Catsouphes’ articles have been published in a number of scholarly and practitioner journals. She was a founding co-editor for the international journal, Community, Work and Family. Her publications include The Work-Family Handbook: Multi-Disciplinary Perspectives and Approaches to Research, published by Erlbaum Publishers (2006) which she edited with colleagues. She received her BA from Tufts University, MSP from Boston College, and PhD from Boston University. |
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Michael Smyer, PhD
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Provost Michael Smyer is the provost and a professor of psychology at Bucknell University. Prior to joining Bucknell, Smyer was a professor of psychology and co-director of the Sloan Center on Aging & Work at Boston College. At the Center, he focused on developing evidence-based practices to enhance the individual and organizational effectiveness of 21st-century workplaces. Smyer's research and teaching focus on adult development and aging, with special attention to the impact of the contexts of aging. In addition, he has written extensively on aging and mental health, particularly the policy aspects of this area. |
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