ABSTRACT
The older population played a helping role in assuring the remarkable success of the retirement strategy. Retirement must have been a popular idea. By the 1960s, it was a commonly accepted practice in both public and private sectors. The concept of retirement was soon enhanced by various powerful forms of social reinforcement. The practice of earlier and earlier retirement produced the elements of a vicious circle. The policies and practices that forced older persons out of their jobs also produced a major resistance to hiring older people. Even in the top executive offices in large organizations, the certainty of mandatory retirement or practice of early retirement produced a special kind of "droneship." Requests to employment agencies for help in recruiting were brazenly conveyed in terms that sought younger workers. The older worker also could see that government and employer policies were leading to steadily higher pension and Social Security benefits for those who retired, even for those who retired early.
