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Work can be a boon or a burden, depending on who you ask. For many, the thought of having nothing to fill their days after retirement is distressing, while others might look forward to filling their days with all the activities they never had time for before. But what is the reality of life after retirement? Is it different for men and women? Will some people choose to continue working when there is no need for money?

A new study in the Journal of Happiness Studies attempts to answer these questions. As life expectancies increase and more people stay in the workforce longer, the impact of these changes has piqued the interest of scientists and policymakers alike.

While several studies have analyzed the motivations and impact of working past normal retirement age, very few have assessed the differences between the motivations and impact of working past retirement between men and women.

This study examined motivations for post-retirement work and its effects on older adults' life satisfaction and emotional well-being and then compared the results for different genders. The researchers used the Social Survey data from Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics for the years 2017–2020, focusing on Jewish adults above retirement age (62+ for women, 67+ for men), including 3,326 women and 2,003 men.

They assessed the factors associated with the decision to work, distinguishing between full-time and part-time work. They then looked at the relationship between work scope and characteristics and measures of life satisfaction and emotional well-being.

The surveys revealed generally positive associations with working after retirement, but this was dependent on several factors. For example, men working full-time after retirement reported higher life satisfaction and emotional well-being, regardless of job type. Meanwhile, retirement-aged women only reported higher life satisfaction if they were in high-status, well-paid jobs—and this satisfaction did not include emotional well-being benefits.

The study authors write, "Overall, work contributes to older adults' well-being because it provides financial and non-financial benefits such as social engagement and it is also a source of identity and self-esteem. We further examined gender differences in the propensity to work and the association of work and well-being, and we found a stronger relationship of work and well-being among men than among women.

"One explanation for this gender difference could be attributed to traditional gender roles, whereby working is a primary (maybe solitary), component of men's self-identity, whereas women maintain other roles that provide meaning and satisfaction."

They add, "Our findings also show that the motivations driving participation in work post-retirement age differ by gender. We find men and women with greater economic needs are more likely to seek full-time employment. However, we find that women with good prospects in the labor market (high quality jobs) tend to work in full-time employment.

"This may indicate that women are more selective in their work motivations than men—they work when the benefits (financial and intrinsic) are high, but they have alternative sources of social engagement if they do not find adequate employment."

Part-time employment was found to be less strongly linked to well-being than full-time work, especially for men. The researchers believe this might be due to part-time employment being perceived less rewarding or less stable or associated with "bad jobs," while full-time employment is associated with "good jobs." A higher percentage of older men were still working in full-time jobs, compared to part-time, while slightly more women were working part-time than full-time.

The authors note that there was not any evidence that working after retirement harms well-being, improving it in many cases, even if only in some ways. However, there may be a bit of a self-selection bias when it comes to health, as healthier people may be more likely to work. If more people with health issues were working, it is likely that many would report dissatisfaction with work, due to added stress.

The study does have some limitations, like the lack of detailed occupational categories and only covering the Jewish population in Israel, which may not be generalizable to all cultures or countries, as attitudes toward work vary considerably. Future studies might consider international comparisons, revealing how different pension systems and cultures affect post-retirement work and well-being.