ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on male early retirement is not intended to suggest that early retirement is not an issue for older female workers, but rather that the problems faced by men and women are different and that the gendered nature of contemporary society demands that, initially, a separate analysis be undertaken. The ESRC study found levels of satisfaction with early retirement to be generally high, with 80 per cent of their sample reporting themselves to be 'definitely satisfied'. For the fortunate majority for whom early retirement is a largely positive experience, increased physical well being and better health is an important benefit. National government in Britain has encouraged early retirement as a way of creating jobs for younger workers but this has often been in conflict with the policies of individual companies, who have seen early retirement as a means of cutting down the overall size of the work force.
