Little is known about the impact of the end of mandatory retirement on professors over the long term. This follow-up study investigated the ten-year experience of professors who chose not to retire from a major research university after the elimination of the age 70 mandatory retirement in 1994. The initial interview study was conducted in 1998…

Interviews with 104 university professors just before and a year after retirement showed that health; rated importance of teaching, research, and consulting roles; and leisure activities related to satisfaction before and after retirement. The most consistent predictor of satisfaction before retirement was self-perceived health and after…

Conducted (N=36) interviews with homemakers whose husbands recently retired from a number of occupations. Investigated positive and negative aspects of retirement and a range of variables associated with life satisfaction and three domains of satisfaction. Found the most consistent correlate of wife's satisfaction was husband's participation in…

A survey of retired rural adults (252 men, 199 women) found that 25% of women and 28% of men rated their health fair or poor; 21% of women and 17% of men rated their financial status less than adequate. Retired women reported significantly lower incomes, more contact with relatives, and greater participation in organizations and volunteer work.…

Survey responses from 17 of 18 employed and 54 of 65 retired college professors aged 70-74 showed that the employed were less likely to be married and have children/grandchildren and more strongly oriented to their professional role. Retirees wanted to pursue other interests or had workplace concerns. Both groups had high life satisfaction.…

Investigated reactions of rural housewives (N=95) to their husbands' retirement and factors associated with satisfaction of rural wives during the retirement years. Found a highly consistent relationship between joint decision-making by husband and wife and satisfaction of the wife in retirement. (Author/ABB)

Compared correlates of retirement satisfaction for married and widowed rural women. Increase in voluntary association memberships and health were predictors of retirement satisfaction for both groups. Other predictors of satisfaction included financial adequacy, frequency and certainty of aid from friends for married women, and maintenance of…

Interviewed 149 retired rural couples to examine conjugal role organization. Found that subjects showed a traditional, gender-differentiated division of household tasks, but that household role segregation decreased significantly after retirement; spouses made majority of decisions jointly; and spouses participated in large number of joint leisure…

A study of professional activity in retirement of emeriti, including emeriti who left the University of Iowa community after retirement and emeriti who continued to live in the community for part of the year, is discussed. Interviews were conducted with 113 emeritus professors. (Author/MLW)

Investigates the effects of specific health conditions on perceived quality of life for retirees (n=451). Pulmonary disease was a predictor of dissatisfaction for both sexes. Pulmonary disease and heart attack were the strongest predictors of dissatisfaction with health for men, followed closely by stroke. Arthritis was the strongest predictor of…

The professional activities of retired academics from two universities in Great Britain were investigated and were compared with the findings of studies of retired academics from a major U.S. state university. A high degree of similarity was found between the two groups. (Author/MLW)

A study to investigate correlates of professional activity of professors in retirement is discussed. Variables included professional role orientation, professional affiliations and contacts, material supports, department, and the state of knowledge in various fields. Sixty-four University of Iowa emeritus professors were interviewed. (Author/MLW)

The professional activities of retired professors from liberal arts colleges, a comprehensive university, and a major research university are compared. Results show that a large majority of faculty continue to perform professional roles. (Author/MLW)