SENIOR CITIZENS' PERCEPTIONS OF WORKING VERSUS NONWORKING MALE AND FEMALE SENIORS: A SEMANTIC DIFFERENTIAL STUDY
Abstract
The study sought to identify the attributes that seniors ascribe to other seniors who are working. Three hundred and fifty-four men and women between the ages of 55 and 91 were selected randomly from a low income housing complex in Far Rockaway, Queens. A Semantic Differential indicated five dimensions along which seniors conceptualize working versus non-working age peers: (1) Involvement vs. Disengagement and inactivity; (2) An evaluative factor; (3) Happiness versus misery; (4) Fresh versus Worn-Out; and (5) Soft and Calm versus Loud and Excitable. The study revealed that seniors tend to view working age peers as more involved and happier than non-working seniors. They did not differentiate between working and non-working seniors on the evaluative dimension. The majority of senior respondents did not express a desire to work themselves.
Subject Area
Social work
Recommended Citation
FRANKEL, DAVID, "SENIOR CITIZENS' PERCEPTIONS OF WORKING VERSUS NONWORKING MALE AND FEMALE SENIORS: A SEMANTIC DIFFERENTIAL STUDY" (1986). ETD Collection for Fordham University. AAI8701899.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/dissertations/AAI8701899
