Women Differ On Retirement Feelings

March 20, 2003 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - Women retiring out of professional careers may have a harder time adjusting to the sunset years than do women who hold jobs normally considered nonprofessional.

Approximately 30 retired women, evenly split between former professionals and nonprofessionals, were queried by Ohio State University about their retirement experience. Most female retirees in the study found the transition to retirement to be generally positive with the majority saying they spent a good part of their free time volunteering and taking care of their families, according to a report in the San Jose Business Journal.

However, fundamental differences were noticed between how women in the professional group and those in the nonprofessional group perceived retirement.   Namely, women who worked in professional occupations reported feeling a sense of loss once they left their jobs, while women who held nonprofessional jobs felt relief.

Additionally, the professional women camp was more inclined to base their retirement decisions on pension eligibility and health concerns.   Comparatively, women in the other group based their retirement decision on family issues, such as being able to spend more time with grandchildren.

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