A "Third Age" of the Life Course? Gendered Time Working and Volunteering, Ages 50 to 75 in the U.S.

Phyllis Moen, University of Minnesota
Sarah Flood, University of Minnesota
Vincent Louis, Texas A&M University

The traditional retirement status passage in the U.S. is eroding and the new demography of aging is marked by postponement of the debilities associated with old age, leading to what is increasingly called a “third age”. We draw on life-course concepts and data from the American Time Use Survey (2003-2009) to examine both the odds of and time spent in paid and unpaid (volunteer) work for 5-year subgroups of American men and women ages 50-75. Full-time employment declines steadily over this age period, but many continue public engagement through and even beyond their 60s by working part time, being self-employed, or volunteering. Women in the third-age years are less apt to be employed but more apt to volunteer than men, with volunteering and employment being inversely related, and self-reported health predicts engagement in paid but not always in unpaid work at various ages.