Men are planning for their financial security in retirement but not for their happiness, according to a survey revealing that more women than men plan for their health and leisure interests before they stop working.

Published in Psychology and Aging, the survey suggests men could find retirement lonely and isolating unless they build social and leisure networks before they leave the workforce, says the report's co-author, UNSW psychologist, Dr Joanne Earl. The report's findings are based on a survey of 377 men and women aged 50-66 years.

"Our finding is significant because a person's level of leisure involvement during their working years tends to predict their involvement during retirement," Dr Earl says. "People are less likely to start new activities after retirement, so getting involved in activities and social activities pre-retirement make good sense.

"If the men we surveyed are representative, Australia's male Baby Boomers could be in for a tough time during retirement," says Dr Earl. "There is a strong emphasis in society to plan and save money for retirement but I think the bigger questions are: ‘What am I saving for?' and, ‘What do I really want to do when I retire?'."

Employers should be helping workers to plan for all facets of their retirement, not just their financial futures, according to Dr Earl: "If working people approaching retirement were helped to answer these types of questions, they could plan more adequately for a satisfying future beyond work."

ABS data reveals that 48 percent of full-time workers plan to switch to part-time work before they retire - an indication that employers need career development programs to assist mature age workers to transition to part-time work before they leave the paid workforce.

Courtesy of Faculty of Science, UNSW