Not so big jobs and retirements: What workers (and retirees) really want

The author contends that there is a fundamental mismatch between the existing configuration of paid work and retirement and the job preferences of older workers and retirees. Most would like to work some, but not full time and full year in "Big Jobs" that offer employees little control or flexibility. Older Americans want discretionary time-opportunities for meaningful engagement with their families and kin, in leisure activities, and in self-development, and they also want to work for the greater good. New chronologies are required in the form of work-time options that fit twenty-first-century realities. The need is for "Not So Big Jobs" that promote life quality as well as personal and social renewal.