Many Americans face a huge decision in the years ahead: is delaying their retirement a realistic, practical and tenable option or should they work longer, in an attempt to be in better financial shape for their retirement? Many policymakers think it is logical – almost inevitable – that Americans will delay retirement and spend more years in the paid labor force.
However, working longer is not a one-size fits all solution especially when you factor in economic and social inequalities, precarious working conditions, family caregiving responsibilities, poor health, and age discrimination. All of these make it difficult or impossible for many to consider working past the age of 65. Marginalized groups in particular face special challenges and society’s legislative responses affect us all. Is there a way to find a path toward better working lives and improved retirement security for all Americans – and if so, what it is?
Resources
Learn more about the Overtime project
Oxford University Press link to buy a copy:
Lisa Berkman’s interview with the Harvard Gazette
Authors’Labor Day op-ed in The Nation
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BIO: Beth Truesdale
BETH TRUESDALE has been examining many of these considerations in her book “Overtime: America’s Aging Workforce and the Future of Working Longer” (co-authored with Lisa Berkman). Truesdale is a sociologist whose research focuses on inequalities in work and aging, and the future of retirement. She has worked on social policy in the U.K. and on disability policy at the White House Office of Management and Budget. She holds a PhD from Harvard University where she is a visiting scientist in the Center for Population and Development Studies, and she is also a research fellow at W E Upjohn Institute for Employment Research.
