[Significance of employment and unemployment in middle and advanced adult age for subjective perception of aging and realization of potentials and barriers of a responsible life]

Abstract

This contribution proceeds on the assumption that occupational activities in middle and upper adulthood do offer opportunities to use and extend competences and therefore to experience self-efficacy, social participation and acceptance, whereas unemployment is associated with a constriction of personal resources which have a negative impact on subjective perceptions of ones's own aging process, potentials and barriers of leading a productive and responsible life. First, employed and unemployed subjects are compared in their scores on three psychometric scales (perceptions of age-related losses, potentials and barriers of leading a productive and responsible life) and four aspects of the "Lebenslage" (Subjective health status, Perceived social integration, Income of the household, Education). In a further step the predictive power of employment and unemployment for subjective perceptions of one's own aging process, potentials and barriers of leading a productive and responsible life when aspects of the "Lebenslage" and sociostructural variables (Age, Sex, Eastern versus western part of Germany, Areas with high versus low unemployment) are also taken into account. Results, obtained in a stratified sample of 641 subjects between 45 and 57 years, show that employed and unemployed subjects differ in subjective perceptions of one's own aging process, potentials and barriers of leading a productive and responsible life as well as in aspects of the "Lebenslage". Employment and unemployment are significant predictors of subjective perceptions of one's own aging process, potentials and barriers of leading a productive and responsible life even when aspects of the "Lebenslage" and sociostructural variables are already taken into account. Results are interpreted as support for the hypothesis that occupational activities are not only instrumental for the realization of human necessities, but that in middle and upper adulthood employment is to be regarded as a human need in itself.