Is a 'Working Retirement' the Key to Happiness for Men?

Most people have visions of what a happy retirement would look like. They might dream of having time to exercise and stay healthy, or having time to enjoy their hobbies or spend more time with family.

Surprisingly, though, there is some new evidence suggesting that men may actually be happier doing something else entirely with their retirement years: Working.

While it may seem counterintuitive to suggest that working could improve retirement for men, recent research published in the Journal of Happiness Studies suggests that this is indeed the case for many men, regardless of their job type. Here's what the study revealed, along with some insights into why working may enhance men's overall happiness during their retirement years.

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Men and women work for different reasons in retirement

When it comes to working in retirement, older Americans of both genders are more likely to hold down jobs if they are on either the high end or low end of the income ladder — although the reasons for working are different.

For those who don't earn much, economic necessity is usually the reason for working in retirement, while higher earners are more likely to be motivated by access to good-paying jobs and personal satisfaction with their work.

Surprisingly, while women tend to face more economic insecurity during retirement than men because they live longer and have lower retirement benefits (largely due to career interruptions for caregiving), men are actually more likely to work due to economic necessity and more likely to hold down full-time jobs, while women are more likely to work part-time.

Old-fashioned perceptions of gender roles may explain why older men are more likely to choose full-time roles, even in retirement, while women are less likely to pursue full-time work, even for economic reasons. Men continue to see themselves as providers in a way that women don't, so women are less likely to take on full-time work unless the job provides more than just a small paycheck.

In fact, while researchers found that both men and women with greater economic need were, unsurprisingly, more likely to seek full-time employment, women tended to pursue full-time jobs only if they had "good prospects in the labour market" or "high quality jobs," which "may indicate that women are more selective in their work motivations than men."

Of course, some women have to work even in suboptimal conditions, but women are more likely to work part-time rather than full-time if they can, when economic necessity is the motivating factor.

Men are happier working, regardless of the job

Since more men work out of economic necessity, you might assume that this would make them less happy. In reality, the opposite is true. Working, in general, appears to be beneficial to men, regardless of the reasons why they hold down a full-time job in retirement.

"Men working full-time and those working part-time in non-lucrative occupations report better emotional well-being than men who do not work," the researchers revealed. "Full-time involvement in the labour market is an important aspect of men’s identity and hence, it is positively related to their emotional well-being and life satisfaction, regardless of job type."

Researchers cited numerous reasons why work might have a positive effect on men's happiness, even if their job isn't great:

• Work promotes health aging.
• Men are more likely to define themselves by their career, rather than other attributes.
• Working at least part-time can help to facilitate a transition out of employment and into retirement.
• Men's identity is more closely linked to their professional role due to social stereotypes of men as "providers."
• Men may have fewer social connections outside of work compared with women.

"Men’s identity might be more dependent on their role as workers due to social norms that define them as main providers (especially among older generations), and thus men might find work more beneficial for their own self-esteem and life satisfaction than do women," the research explained.

Women don't have the same experience, and, as a result, working has a positive impact only if the jobs are lucrative and fulfilling in their own right — simply having a job doesn't have the same effect on a woman than a man.

"Work may be less central to women’s identity and may be less rewarding for women because they have other roles that provide meaning, and they can find satisfaction in family relationships and social activities," researchers explained.

Men, on the other hand, tend to have fewer close friends and may be more vulnerable to loneliness in retirement as a result. Work helps them to stave that off by maintaining social connections.

Men's retirement plans should differ from women's

With men deriving more emotional benefits from working, they may want to prepare and plan for retirement differently, including continuing to work in at least some capacity, at least while easing into retirement.

"We find that working after retirement age may help facilitate the transition out of employment and into retirement, but this is true especially for men, therefore, social policies that encourage employment of older people might serve men more than women," researchers wrote.

Men should also work on developing other aspects of their lives to keep them busy, including cultivating friendships and hobbies, and taking the time during their retirement years to focus on their health.

Read More

• The Y Rule of Retirement: Why Men Need to Plan Differently
• Best Jobs for Retirees
• The Rule of 1,000 Hours in Retirement
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