Men Still at Work

February 17, 2014
In this companion to Women Still at Work, Fideler examines the factors which keep men in the workplace well past the commonly-accepted age of retirement. While theoretically a broad subject, she limits herself with the snowball method of sampling, which produced 156 respondents, "virtually all professionalsâ¦well-educated high achievers still working and still enjoying good health and abundant energy." As she admits, her subjects "tended to be white men with similar socioeconomic status." Absent are "poorly-educated men, employed in low-wage, low-skill, high-turnover jobsâ¦obliged to continue workingâ¦out of economic necessity." As a result, Fideler's research offers up profiles of accomplished, successful men who remain active as a choice. It's an interesting look at the privileged and fortunate, but bears little relation to the common populace. While her examination of issues such as masculinity, father figures, the need to provide, and the need to remain active is valid, it still feels like a snapshot of the 1%, out of touch with the demands of the new economic climate.