This literature review presents viewpoints on retirement expressed in four books: "Capitalism and the Construction of Old Age," (Chris Phillipson); "Work and Retirement," (Stanley Parker); "Work or Retirement?" (B. Casey, G. Bruche); "The Ageing Worker," (M. Doering, S.R. Rhodes, M. Schuster). (JB)

Early retirement programs offer individuals an alternative to the work ethic while allowing them to maintain job security. Examples are given of several early, partial, and phased retirement programs currently being used in universities and public school systems. (DF)

The General Accounting Office examined retirement age trends in the private sector to assist the Congress in its effort to devise a retirement system for Federal employees. The Census Bureau's Current Population Survey (CPS) was identified as a source of information about private sector retirement patterns. March 1974, 1979, and 1984 data were…

Recent legislative and regulatory actions have made retirement policies more complicated. Six major elements appropriate for retirement policy review are addressed: normal-age benefits and goals, mandatory retirement, early retirement, phased retirement, auxiliary retirement savings programs, and retirement counseling. (MLW)

The study applies a pension acceptance model to acceptance of an early retirement pension bonus. Probabilities of acceptance range from .18 to .33. It also simulates acceptance behavior without the bonus, with probabilities of acceptance ranging from .11 to .30. (Author/CH)

Work attachment of men aged 58-63 fell dramatically from 1969-89, with a sharp reduction at age 62 that is probably due to Social Security's early retirement provision. Nonpension income and the interaction between private pensions, personal assets, and Social Security may also play a large role. (SK)

Two issues were analyzed--the changing characteristics of early pension recipients and the costs of early retirement. The analyses covered men and women aged 50 and older and were based primarily on data from the Census Bureau's March 1984 Current Population Survey. Findings showed that the percentage of the population receiving employer-sponsored…

Watch for a reversal of the early-retirement trend as America's labor pool shrinks and life expectancy rates climb. (Author)

Several conceptualizations and definitions of retirement have been proposed. One of them--the three-stage transition process--can be illustrated from studies in Israel: (1) leaving the old role; (2) going through the act of formal separation; and (3) adjusting to the new situation and role. Today's higher rate of survival into later years means…

A survey of current early retirement programs and faculty age distributions was conducted among 23 colleges in the Consortium on Financing Higher Education and 13 universities in the Association of American Universities. Tabular data and narrative descriptions are presented in two major sections. The first section presents data on the number of…

Discusses the economic crisis and subsequent employment problems that have had substantial consequences for older workers in France. Offers alternatives including a flexible career cycle in which working periods would alternate with long periods of training and leisure time throughout a career. (JOW)

Examined subsample of nonworking older Black Americans (N=295) from the National Survey of Black Americans sample. Found four factors contributed significantly to respondents' unretired-retired status: indistinct line between lifetime and old age work patterns, view that occasional work is necessary, income from other than private pensions, and…

The average retirement age for men shifted from 70 in 1950 to 65 in 1970 to 62 in 1985. Whether the trend toward early retirement has ended depends on interpretation of changes in the last 2 decades, including elimination of mandatory retirement, modifications in social security and pension plans, and increased longevity. (Contains 18 references.)…

Economic underpinnings of retirement incentives and case law leading to the Older Workers Benefits Protection Act (1986) are reviewed; implications for early retirement incentives for college faculty are considered. It is concluded that congressional intent is not to foreclose such incentives and that the Age Discrimination in Employment Act…

The author argues that the nation cannot afford its habit of promoting early retirement. He calls for public policy and employer incentives to encourage longer work lives. (CH)