AGE AND THE SATISFACTIONS FROM WORK

This research documents age differences in the relative importance of intrinsic work satisfactions as determinants of the individual's sense of global well-being. Evidence of a decline in the importance of these intrinsic satisfactions for men during the later stages of labor force participation is not an artifact of lower levels of satisfaction. Rather, it appears that toward the end of the period of labor force participation, the satisfactions men derive from work are transferred from the actual experience of work to its consequences. The relevance of the results to early retirement policies is considered. Data used in the analysis come from the 1971 Quality of American Life survey. The national cross-sectional survey allows for comparison of the multivariate structure of life satisfactions among four age groups of labor force participants.