The Rowman & Littlefield Handbook on Aging and Work

With an aging population and longer lives ahead, the future of work will be very different. Older adults will assume new roles and multi-generational workforces will proliferate. Retirement traditions and cultural norms will be toppled. Age will be incorporated in diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. With The Rowman & Littlefield Handbook on Aging and Work, Elizabeth Fideler has assembled a cast of respected experts to advise on the challenges and opportunities in this shifting longevity landscape. It’s a must read and a must reference. -- Paul Irving, chairman, Milken Institute Center for the Future of Aging; Distinguished Scholar in Residence, USC Davis School of Gerontology I was a bit stunned to see the table of contents of The Rowman & Littlefield Handbook on Aging and Work, edited by Elizabeth Fideler. What a tour de force—the breadth of topics; the preeminent contributors; the multidisciplinary, multilevel perspectives on challenges and solutions. This volume is truly a gold mine for researchers, educators, and scholars. I especially like the full consideration of views of employers, organizations, and workers. Further, we are not left with all the problems… much attention is given to the best ways forward—to recommendations and actions. This collection of ideas was extremely relevant before the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, as older workers and organizations struggle to recover, this handbook is even more timely. -- Nancy Morrow-Howell, director, Harvey A. Friedman Center for Aging, Washington University in St. Louis The Rowman and Littlefield Handbook on Aging and Work is a treasure trove of scholarly research on the many variables that affect the income and general well-being of the aging workforce. Several chapters focus on different employment histories of men and women, racial and ethnic minorities, and occupations at different income levels. Others note the varying employment histories of major age cohorts (baby boomers, etc.) that have been affected by changing technology, women’s changing expectations about working, increasing levels of education, as well as general ups and downs in labor demand. Finally, together, these chapters imply that labor policy, health policy, employer and HR practices should respond to all the change that has taken place and that will continue. This handbook constitutes a solid foundation for individual counseling, further research, and new policy initiatives that will advance the work experience, incomes, and general well-being of older workers. -- Janet Zollinger Giele, professor emerita of sociology & social policy, Brandeis University Supporting work at older ages is one of the main issues individuals and policymakers face in the years ahead. This comprehensive book reviews what is happening and what needs to happen if the U.S is to meet the diverse needs of an ever-growing number of people in a new career stage. -- Andrew J. Scott, professor of economics at London Business School and co-author of “The 100 Year Life” In this timely and comprehensive book, Elizabeth Fideler (herself an exemplar of productive aging) brings together leading experts from many different disciplines and perspectives to shed light on the ever-changing context of aging, work, and retirement. Importantly, the authors expand the monolithic conception of older adults to expose demographic and other differences between and among them, e.g., those who want to work, those who have to work, those who can’t find work, and those who need to work but are disabled. Chapters illuminating both employer and government policies affecting this changing tide contribute to our understanding of how we arrived at this juncture and provide a call to action on the part of scholars, policy makers, employers and their employees, on work that needs to be done to potentiate positive, realistic, and equitable adaptations to this era of longevity. -- Jacquelyn James, director, Sloan Research Network on Aging & Work This excellent Rowman & Littlefield Handbook on Aging and Work edited by Elizabeth F. Fideler is a valuable resource for all who develop policy for and work with aging workers. With the numbers of older workers increasing, it is a welcome addition that thoughtfully consolidates research findings on this important topic. -- Carl E. Van Horn, director, Heldrich Center for Workforce Development, Rutgers University The newly published Rowman & Littlefield Handbook on Aging and Work—edited by Elizabeth F. Fideler, prolific author on topics related to aging, and founding member of the Sloan Research Network on Aging & Work at Boston College—is a thorough and highly informative resource on the aging workforce. This 518-page compendium with 26 chapters of well-researched papers by more than 50 influential authors addresses, in short, “the impact of current conditions and developments on the individual worker, organizations and employers, and society as a whole.” -Workforce Monitor A superb Handbook on Aging and Work that includes a chapter by Jan Hively and Moira Allan!! Here is your material for teaching and learning about Extended Work Life! …. While focusing on all aspects of the rapid growth of mature workers in the American workforce, it also describes labor force participation trends that are underway across the globe. * Global PIONeer Gazette *