DOCUMENT RESUME ED 112 025 CE 004 772 AUTHOR Rhee, H. A. TITLE Human Aging and Retirement: Questions Unresolved and Resolved. Some Reflections cn Contemporary Gerontology and its Relevance to Retirement Policy. INSTITUTION International Social Security Association, Geneva (Switzerland). PUB DATE 74 NOTE 302p. EDRS PRICE MF-$0.76 HC-$15.86 Plus Pbstage DESCRIPTORS *Age; Demography; Geriatrics; Health; *Older Adults; *Retirement; Senior Citizens; Social Services; Work Experience IDENTIFIERS *Gerontology; Inflation; Social Security ABSTRACT The report is a general multidisciplinary survey of current areas of interest in the field of gerontology, especially those having to do with retirement and the provision of social security. Chapter 1 discusses social security as an issue in gerontology and the concern of social security with retirement and aging. Chapter 2 discusses the "Third Age," and deals with problems which older people encounter. Chapter 3 discusses the differences between the life spans of men and women and the causes behind them. Chapter 4 discusses the statistical data on demography which is available and that which is needed. Chapter 5 deals with the significance, characteristics, and history of retirement, role changes, social security benefits, and the retired and defense of their interests. Chapter 6 discusses the particular effects of inflation on the older generation. Chapter 7 discusses the interaction of the elderly with their younger fellow citizens and the "disengagement" controversy. Chapter 8 discusses man's relation to his work and occupation. Chapter 9 discusses the meaning of functional age and whether or not it can replace the concept of chronological age. Chapter 10 discusses improvements in somatic health, problems of stress, and their relation to the "disengagement" controversy. An index to the document is included. (Author/JR) *********************************************************************** Documents acquired by ERIC include many informal unpublished * materials not available from other sources. ERIC makes every effort * * to obtain the best copy available. Nevertheless, items of marginal * * reproducibility are often encountered and this affects the quality * * of the microfiche and hardcopy reproductions ERIC makes available * * via the ERIC Document Reproduction Service (EDRS). EDRS is not * responsible for the quality of the original document. Reproductions * * supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original. * #########################20144401101120011300014300001101420014444014014200000014 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION L WELFARE rI NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION THIS DOCUMENT HAS BEEN REPRO. DUCED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED FROM THE PERSON OR ORGANIZATIONORIGIN. W ATING IT POINTS OF VIEW OR OPINIONS STATED DO NOT NECESSARILYREPRE. SENT OFFICIAL NATIONAL INSTITUTEOF EDUCATION POSITION OR POLICY Human Ageing and Retirement by H. A. Rhee General Secretariat ,s.INTERNATLONAL SOCIAL SECURITY ASSOCIATION (10 0 Geneva CJ 1974 Human Ageing and Retirement: Questions Unresolved and Resolved Some Reflections on Contemporary Gerontology and its Relevance to RetirementPolicy by H.A. Rhee Geneva 1974 Page Foreword iii Introduction: A Cross-disciplinary Approach Ti 1 Social Security as an issue in Gerontology.. Gerontology its meaning and development. Its biological origins: From pathology to concern with the biological mechanisms of ageing; from physiology to Social Issues, including Social Security.Social Security's concern with Retirement and Ageing 1 2 The "Third Age".Problems of "older" People. The /* Ages of Man: Three, four or seven ? 15 3 Life Span of Men and Women. Differences and factors determining them. Changes over time. Predominance of older women. Causes. 26 4 Demographic Background Data and Factors. Statistical data available and needed 44 5 Retirement. A. Significance of Retirement. B. Role Change and its Problems. C. Characteristics and History of Retirement. D. Poverty and Needs. E. Social Security and Social Services;Some Central Issues of Social Protection; Social Security Cash Benefits; Major Issues and Trends; Services. F. The Retired and Defence of their Interests. 55 6 Inflation. Its Impact on the Older Generation. Fiscal Expedients to aid Redistribution of Incomes among Age Groups. 142 7 The Right Relationships: Old, Young, Middle4ged, Elderly; Older with each other. The "Disengage- ment" Controversy. Activity and Integration or Disengagement ? 178 a Man's Relation to his Work and Occupation. 207 9 What is nanctional Age ?Can it replace Chronological Age ? 236 10 Improvements in Somatic Health. Problems of Stress. Repair and Prevention and their Costs. Relation to the Disengagement controversy. 243 Concluding Reflections 279 Index 283 - r 5 Tables and Diagrams No. 1. Tables page 1 Earliest Age at which Women begin to predominate markedly in the total population. (about 1970) 29 2 Expectation of Life of Women and Men. Geographic regions of Europe. (Mid to late 1960s) 31 3 Differences in Expectation of Life at given Ages. Women and Men. Countries of Europe. (Mid to late 1960s) 35 4 Changes over Time in Expectation of Life.Women and Men at different Ages. Switzerland. (1876/80 and 1958/63) 40 5 Measuring Social Needs 90 6 Increases in Consumer Prices 156 2. Diagrams 1 Expectation of Life at specified ages. Whole of Europe. (Mid to late 1960s) 32 2 Age Structure of Population in two countries at a given point in time. Mexico, France. (1960s) 37 3 Changes in Expectation of Life at birth. Women and Men. Germany. (1875-1968) 39 4 Changes in Expectation of Life at 0,5and 70. Women and Men. England and Wales, and Scotland. (1901-1969) 39 5 Changes over long periods in the Human Survival Curve 45 6 Need Assessed by Different Methods 89 7 Inflation measured by Retail Price Index 158 6 I F ()REWORD The International Social Security Association has been interested, ever since its inception almost half a century ago, in problems facing the elderly and the old. Over the years, General Assemblies and different Committees have considered on various occasions some of the needs for social security of men and women at these ages. But such consideration was confined mostly to questions of social provision for specific risks: ill health, loss of income (pensions), needs for services, etc. It was not until the XNII thGeneral Assembly, four years ago, that more general consideration of social security for the elderly and the old stood as a major item on the agenda of a (three-yearly) General Assembly of this world-wide Association of social security institutions, now numbering 230 affiliated members and 83 associate members, covering well over 500,000,000 people in more than a hundred countries. To mark the importance the Association attached to humane and just solutions of problems facing this increasing part of the population the General Assembly of 1970 chose this subject as the central theme of its deliberations. In a short preliminary report on "Social Security of Old Age Pensioners" to that Assembly, Mr. A. Saxer, formerly Director- General of the Federal Social Insurance Office of Switzerland, had drawn attention to demographic changes that impelled searching attention to the needs for social security of people in these age groups and listed questions of coverage against specific risks. - iii - 7 The Bureau. of the I.S.S.A. decided, as a result of the very great interest shown by that Assembly, that the study of the diverse aspects of the subject needed to be intensified and entrusted the Association's Secretariat with determining the best way to do this. It was clear that the time was coming when social provision for people above normal workingage required to be studied in broader perspective, taking full account of wider biological as wall as social issues. The SecretaryGeneral of the I.S.S.A. wishes toexpress, his thanks to the competent authorities of the I.L.O. for having seconded the author to serve with the I.S.S.A. Secretariat and having thus made this interesting study possible, and to the World Health Organization for giving the author access to their excellent collection of reference material. Gerontologists, geriatricians, specialists in many fields of study whose ideas have contributed indirectly to this work are toonumerous to mention here individually. Their names are to be found in the book and in the Index. Special tanks are due to the author for presenting ina scholarly way tat clearly and simply a global picture of the challenging problems of human ageing and retirement. He deserves credit for Inving analysed critically in this volumea considerable amount of relevant writing and adding to this ideas of hisown but, above all, for keeping the ageing human person firmly in the centre of this study. As a preliminary to better social provision formen and women past middle age factual information is required as to their health, their economic circumstances, their social integration in society and their needs and desires. One of the main purposes of entrusting a study such as this toa behavioral scientist was to raise questions and to show where there aregaps of knowledge and differences of views. iv The author has therefore, rightly, not overloadedthis study with figures and detail, but asks basicquestions - many of them questions on which muchmore work will be needed to find answers. Chapter 10 shows how little is known about states of health of elderly people and aboutcauses of their ill health. There are widely diverging viewsas to the need of many