Changes in the retirement process among older men in the United States: 1972–1980

Recent changes in older men's retirement patterns are investigated for the United States. The results show that labor force incumbents, particularly those in secondary occupations, experienced increases in the volume of both retirement and reentry to the labor force. In addition, although working life expectancy remained relatively stable across occupations, men in secondary occupations spent increasingly greater portions of their work lives in postretirement jobs. Finally, large increases in nonworking life expectancy occurred because of substantial increases in life expectancy. In several occupations, however, declines in working life expectancy were major contributors to increases in nonworking life expectancy.     

The Relationship between Health Survey and Medical Chart Review Results in a Rural Population

The objective of this study was to understand the relationship between health survey and medical chart based information. The study population consisted of adult patients (17 years of age and older) attending the Bella Coola Medical Clinic who also completed a detailed Health and Quality of Life Survey. A total of 674 adults completed the Health and Quality of Life Survey. Demographically there was excellent agreement between self-report and clinic data for age, sex, height, weight and Aboriginal ancestry. For morbidity, there was excellent agreement between self-reported and clinically recorded diabetes. Good agreement was observed for diagnoses of cancer, heart problems, hypertension, arthritis and breathing problems. Poor agreement was observed for diagnoses of depression, back/neck problems, eye problems, walking problems, stroke, hearing problems and bone/joint problems. There was poor agreement between the number of self-reported and charted clinic visits. Excellent agreement was shown between self-reported height and weight and clinic height and weight. When BMI was calculated good agreement was achieved between self-report and chart data. It can be concluded that the relationship between chart review and self-report health information observed in this rural population is similar to findings from other populations. Researchers who use self-report data on co-morbidity and obesity measures should be aware of possible error in their estimates and how these errors could affect their findings.     

Older women and family care in Hong Kong: differences in filial expectation and practices

Cultural aspects of aging have great importance on how older women and men are being treated, in particular in Asia where patriarchal practices dominate. Further, changes in the structure of the Chinese family alter this supportive function, and changes in traditional values affect the nature of the care and support provided to older women and men. This proposition was investigated by a quantitative study involving a survey of 390 older persons in Hong Kong. There are great discrepancies in informal support for older women and men. Older women are less likely to live with adult children; more likely to need financial assistance; and more likely to receive poor informal support. There is evidence that informal support for the elderly is changing in Hong Kong, and older women are being disadvantaged, experiencing insufficient and unavailability of informal support.     

"Barebacking": intentional condomless anal sex in HIV-risk contexts. Reasons for and against it

Intentional condomless anal sex in HIV-risk contexts ("barebacking") has been heatedly debated in gay circles, the gay media, and, to a lesser degree, the mainstream media. Yet it has received little attention in the scientific literature. In order to better understand the reasons behind this behavior, we conducted a content analysis of messages posted on an Internet message board following Gay.com's decision to close a company-sponsored bareback chat room. Individuals posting messages self-identified in their online profiles as being mostly White/ European gay men residing in the US, with an average age of 35 years. Out of 130 messages, 62 (48%) were pro-barebacking, 55 (42%) were against barebacking, and 13 (10%) referred to other topics. The content analysis of the messages showed that both those in favor of and against barebacking felt well-informed about HIV/AIDS and the risks of HIV transmission. Those in favor considered condomless sex more enjoyable than sex with condoms (both in actual experience and in erotic imagery), felt that condomless sex conferred a sense of freedom, minimized the risks involved in barebacking (assuming that practitioners were already HIV infected and that the risk of superinfection was small), and ultimately believed that barebacking was a personal decision and responsibility. Those against barebacking believed the behavior was dangerous, advocated for condom use and personal and social responsibility, and felt barebackers needed to be sensitized to the burdens of HIV disease. Implications of these results are discussed, pointing out the need for further scientific inquiry in this area.     

Demographic responses and demographic transitions: A case study of sweden

An important study by Friedlander investigated some of the effects of different demographic responses on national demographic transitions. England and Sweden were advanced as cases that approximated the suggested hypothetical models of transitions. His argument implied that the rural population of a country (in this case Sweden) experiencing mortality decline but little industrialization would reduce its fertility rates if out-migration from agricultural areas were not possible. This present study, using more complete data and better measures, concludes that this did not occur in Sweden—it did not conform to Friedlander’s hypothesized model. Because the potential implications of these findings could be profound and wide-ranging, there is a need for more studies of individual countries using better data and giving more careful attention to Davis’s theory on which the Friedlander hypothesis is based.     

The role of savings and wealth in reducing ‘wilt’ between expectations and college attendance

‘Wilt’ occurs when a young person in high school expects to attend college but does not do so shortly after graduating. In this study we find that youth with no savings account in their own name are more likely to experience wilt than any other group examined. In multivariate analysis, young people who expect to graduate from a four-year college and have an account are approximately six times more likely to attend college than those with no account. Teens who expect to graduate from a four-year college and have designated a portion of their savings for college are approximately three times more likely to attend college than those with no account. Additionally, when savings are taken into account, academic achievement is no longer a significant predictor of college attendance. Policy implications are discussed.     

Economic advice as a vocation: symbioses of scientific and political authority

Academic economists perform an important function in advising politicians and state bureaucrats, lending them epistemological authority. This creates a challenge of institutional design and of professional vocation, of how these experts can combine their commitment to scientific analysis with their commitment towards their governmental patrons. This article examines the case of anti-trust economics, in which government economists are encouraged to remain as academically engaged as possible, so that their advice will be - or appear to be - unpolluted by political or bureaucratic pressures. Yet this ideal is constantly compromised by the fact that the economists are nevertheless government employees, working beneath lawyers. Max Weber's concept of a 'vocation' is adopted to explore this tension, and his two lectures, 'Science as a Vocation' and 'Politics as a Vocation' are read side by side, to consider this core dilemma of academic policy advisors.