Deck 9: Retirement and Work

Question 1

Why did industry support the retirement principle?

A) It created a flow of promotions, rendered business more mobile, and deterred efficient workers from leaving for private employment.
B) It increased seniority benefits.
C) It allowed companies to retire older highly paid workers in favour of younger, cheaper labour, and speeded up production.
D) It increased product quality by eliminating inefficient older workers.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Which of the following describes the Supreme Court's 2008 ruling on mandatory retirement,as reported by New Brunswick Human Rights Chair Gordon Porter?

A) Mandatory retirement constitutes a form of cruel and unusual punishment for an older worker.
B) Mandatory retirement discriminates against older people, and allowing someone to work is fair and makes economic sense.
C) Mandatory retirement provides a gentle and humane way of removing older workers from the labour force.
D) Mandatory retirement relieves older workers from the social burden of work and gives them the opportunity to relax and enjoy their remaining years.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Which program led the way for increased retirement?

A) the CPP (Canada Pension Program)
B) the U.S. Social Security program
C) World War II veterans' payments
D) the RRSP (Registered Retirement Savings Program)

Answer 3

B

Question 4

According to Denton,Feaver,and Spencer (2010),what percentage of a person's life,if he/she retires at 65 years of age,could potentially be spent in retirement?

A) 1/4
B) 1/3
C) 2/3
D) 3/4

Question 5

The federal government introduced the Old Age Pension Act in 1927.What was one of the reasons the government implemented this act?

A) The government had the financial means to do so
B) Employers wanted to get rid of overproductive workers
C) The electorate wanted the Old Age Pension
D) Employers needed to decrease unemployment

Question 6

In what year did the Canadian public service decide to terminate mandatory retirement in Canada?

A) 1978
B) 1983
C) 1986
D) 1990

Question 7

What is the retirement principle?

A) an objective measure of a person's abilities used by employers to gauge the performance of older people on the job
B) the initial payment required to begin an RRSP (Registered Retirement Savings Plan) that guarantees the pensioner will remain above the poverty line
C) the idea that at a fixed age, regardless of mental or physical ability, a person leaves work
D) the minimum age of retirement for a worker to receive full benefits from a pension plan

Question 8

Even with the Old Age Pension Act of 1927,few people retired in the past.Which of the following is a reason people continued to work?

A) Retirement was not yet a normative age-graded event for the society at the time.
B) People liked their jobs too much to even consider retirement.
C) A lack of retirement income kept most people working as long as possible.
D) Very few people worked on farms or in small businesses, which offered the best retirement options.

Question 9

According to estimates by Dodge,Laurin,and Busby (2010),what would happen to a middle-income earner without government support?

A) He/she would have to work until almost 75 years of age to achieve the same level of post-retirement income.
B) He/she would have to save 17% of his/her yearly income every year in order to retire at age 63.
C) He/she could not afford to retire due to the inequality between inflation and interest rates.
D) He/she would be encouraged to remain productive for more years, and would be a drain on society for a shorter length of time.

Question 10

Mr.Kabela has worked for a company for 40 years.His company is unionized,but is experiencing financial difficulties and there are rumours of layoffs.There are many employees who will lose their jobs before Mr.Kabela,because he was one of the first employees hired at the company.What is the term for Mr.Kabela's long-standing employment with his company that ensures him his job over less experienced employees?

A) seniority
B) preferred employee
C) experience
D) stature

Question 11

According to Statistics Canada,in 2004,what percentage of men aged 65 and over continued to work in the labour force?

A) 21.8%
B) 37.6%
C) 55.5%
D) 65.7%

Question 12

Which of the following is a social force today that leads a person to choose retirement?

A) a more positive attitude toward retirement
B) taxation rules
C) decreased sick-time allotment
D) more negative attitudes towards work

Question 13

How do Denton and Spencer (2009)define retirement?

A) as the best time in a person's life
B) as a withdrawal from paid working life
C) as the time to relax and enjoy one's life
D) as the moment one starts a new chapter in one's life

Question 14

Myles (1984)traces old age today to which two developments?

A) the pension principle and the pension wage
B) the retirement principle and the retirement wage
C) ego development and normative age-graded events
D) reorientation and termination

Question 15

The English poor law notion of "less eligibility" was the basis for government assistance of older people.Which of the following best describes this notion?

A) Assistance should relieve poverty, but should be less than the lowest working wage.
B) The more people had made during their career, the less eligible they were for government assistance.
C) Assistance should ensure that an individual gets more than the bare necessities of life.
D) The less a person's children earn, the more eligible for assistance he/she is.

Question 16

Why did unions support retirement?

A) It reduced labour costs to industry, making it easier for unions to secure higher wages for younger workers.
B) It gave older people a graceful way to leave work when it became too hard for them to compete.
C) Fewer older workers meant fewer workplace accidents, and therefore fewer disability payments.
D) Older workers generally do not want to work past 65, but few could afford to retire.

Question 17

The idea of old age today can be traced,in part,to a concept in which an individual leaves work at a fixed age regardless of his or her ability.What is the name for this concept?

A) mandatory retirement
B) registered retirement
C) the retirement principle
D) the retirement wage

Question 18

According to McDonald and Donahue (2012),which of the following factors can shape one's retirement?

A) one's health
B) one's religion
C) one's economic situation
D) one's marital status

Question 19

In 2009,what percentage of senior women belonged to the workforce?

A) 6%
B) 8%
C) 10%
D) 12%

Question 20

Retirees today receive a share of the social product over and above what they may have contributed as wage earners.What does Myles (1984)call this?

A) the retirement principle
B) Post Retirement Earnings (PRE)
C) an incremental pension
D) a citizen's wage

Question 21

What has the Ontario Ministry of Labour concluded regarding mandatory retirement and the workforce?

A) Unemployment for young workers would increase substantially.
B) Increased productivity would enable expansion and lead to reduced unemployment.
C) Pension benefits would decrease, leading to a worsening condition for older workers.
D) There may not be a change in current patterns of retirement.

Question 22

What percentage of people aged 50 and over said that they experienced age discrimination when looking for a job?

A) 10%
B) 25%
C) 60%
D) 80%

Question 23

According to Schirle (2010),why do up to 25 percent of people retire?

A) poor health
B) a large pension
C) family reasons
D) a strong dislike of one's job

Question 24

In a survey regarding discrimination in the workplace,what did Lahey (2006)discover?

A) The only type of discrimination that occurred was based on gender.
B) Discrimination was based upon qualifications and gender.
C) Discrimination was based upon ethnicity and qualifications.
D) Discrimination was based upon age.

Question 25

The near end of mandatory retirement comes at an opportune time.What might cause Canada to need its older workers to remain on the job?

A) early retirement
B) the retirement crunch
C) age discrimination
D) personal careers

Question 26

Which of the following describes the "taxback" rules of the GIS program?

A) They encourage people to work past 65 if their pension plan allows it by reducing the taxes paid by older workers.
B) They create a strong incentive for retirement, especially for the poorest workers.
C) They pay $2 towards post-retirement income for every $1 paid in pre-retirement taxes.
D) They do not tax RRSPs or other private pension programs.

Question 27

According to Statistics Canada,why do some women enter the workforce later on in life?

A) They are needed in the service sector.
B) They enjoy the social contact.
C) They need the income.
D) They are bored staying at home.

Question 28

From the mid-1990s to 2009,what was the average age of retirement for men?

A) 55
B) 58
C) 60
D) 62

Question 29

According to the text,what Canadian provinces and/or territories have training programs for older unemployed workers?

A) Quebec and Yukon
B) Ontario and Manitoba
C) Nunavut and Newfoundland
D) British Columbia and Saskatchewan

Question 30

Mrs.Beauchamp works at a job in which her expertise is going to experience dramatic retirements over the next 20 years.In which of the following fields is Mrs.Beauchamp currently employed?

A) dentistry
B) engineering
C) university professor
D) firefighting

Question 31

Why do most women retire earlier than men?

A) because they have more friends who retire at a younger age
B) because of the ill health of a spouse or family member
C) because of the stress of working at an older age
D) because they help to take care of their grandchildren

Question 32

Bob is a long-term employee at his job as a teacher.He would like to continue working for a few more years.Which of the following incentives motivates an older worker to stay in his/her job for a longer period of time?

A) training and education
B) flexible work hours
C) increased pensions
D) increased vacation time

Question 33

According to the 2007 General Social Survey,around what age do Canadian workers plan to retire?

A) 80
B) 70
C) 60
D) 50

Question 34

Which of the following is a reason employers may still favour the early release of workers even in the face of labour shortages?

A) because older workers are less expensive and less experienced than younger workers
B) because mandatory retirement affects all workers equally
C) because there are powerful incentives, like private pensions, for older workers to leave the workforce
D) because of the demand for flexible work arrangements

Question 35

According to Cooke (2006),people who retire early usually maintain what percentage of their pre-retirement income in retirement?

A) 3/4
B) 2/3
C) 1/2
D) 1/4

Question 36

Dylan is 57 and is having difficulty finding a new job after being laid off.What is the largest barrier to finding jobs for workers after age 50?

A) a poor economy
B) lack of experience
C) age discrimination
D) lack of education

Question 37

According to the Canadian Standing Senate Committee (2006),what action should be taken by to maintain the workforce?

A) employers and the government should revise policies that encourage older workers to retire
B) the government should once again invoke mandatory retirement
C) employers should provide higher pensions so that employees will want to retire at a younger age
D) the government should allow more foreign-born employees to immigrate to Canada

Question 38

How can companies use their older employees to benefit younger employees who are entering the workforce?

A) Older employees can mentor younger employees.
B) Older employees can recruit younger employees.
C) Older employees can work when younger employees need time off.
D) Older employees can work full-time while younger employees can work part-time.

Question 39

Why do some companies in Canada encourage early retirement?

A) to maintain a steady rate of promotions that improves worker productivity
B) to reduce company payments into employee pension plans
C) to allow companies to hire less costly young workers, or leave jobs empty
D) to enable companies to claim higher tax breaks

Question 40

Which of the following factors,as cited by Rix (2006)and Cooke (2006)is one of the primary problems that older people face when seeking employment?

A) technological skills
B) age
C) health
D) family and/or personal obligations

Question 41

Which of the following is a tool that employers can use to keep experienced workers on the job for a longer period of time,as cited by Hewitt (2008)?

A) phased retirement
B) flexible retirement
C) job sharing
D) bridge jobs

Question 42

Your uncle used to work as an architect before he retired.He now has a part-time job as a security guard at the local zoo,and he's worked there for five years now,and is fortunate enough to have benefits.What is the term that describes this type of employment for once-retired older people?

A) senior career
B) encore career
C) second career
D) additional career

Question 43

What does flexible retirement offer to the worker?

A) a retirement plan suited to the employer's needs or preferences
B) floating pension rates tied to the inflation rate
C) a slow cutback in the number of hours he/she works each week
D) an early retirement age

Question 44

Tournier (1972)says that a second career differs from both the leisure activities and the kind of work a person does in middle age for which of the following reasons?

A) It has less concrete goals.
B) Its priorities lie in less selfish motives.
C) It is an escape from feelings of uselessness and despair.
D) It results from an older person's fear of being forgotten and is an attempt at gaining recognition before death.

Question 45

Fred is 59 years old and has retired from his job as an engineer.He now works as a university professor,teaching engineering.Which of the following situations,as documented in several studies,may Fred's encore career lead to in the future?

A) poor health
B) a more secure financial situation
C) less physical, cognitive, and social activity
D) improved health and successful aging

Question 46

Even though they have a good retirement income,which of the following often choose to continue working?

A) professors
B) upper-class women
C) independent professionals
D) industrial workers

Question 47

According to Hardy (2006),what percentage of today's retirees experience retirement as a once-in-a-lifetime break with their past?

A) 37%
B) 42%
C) 50%
D) 58%

Question 48

According to Turcotte and Shellenberg (2007),in 2004,what percentage of men aged 65 years and older worked at a temporary job?

A) 17%
B) 25%
C) 32%
D) 43%

Question 49

Many Canadians still cannot afford to retire.What percentage of people aged 45 and over said that they may never retire?

A) 25%
B) 43%
C) 68%
D) 84%

Question 50

According to a study of involuntary retirement,which of the following groups of people show the greatest likelihood of postretirement depression?

A) people with low incomes
B) people with poor-paying jobs
C) people with a chronic disease
D) people who really liked their jobs

Question 51

Which of the following is an example of an older employed male who continues to work after age 65 because he finds meaning in his work?

A) George, a member of the clergy
B) Isaac, a lawyer
C) Pierre, a policeman
D) Robert, a firefighter

Question 52

According to the 2006 Participation and Activity Limitations Survey,what percentage of retirees retired involuntarily?

A) 14%
B) 22%
C) 39%
D) 46%

Question 53

Which of the following best describes most of the older workers who work part-time? 

A) They are looking for full-time positions.
B) They are in work sharing programs.
C) They choose to work because it provides them with a sense of purpose.
D) They cannot afford to retire fully.

Question 54

What is the function of an "encore career" that takes place after a mid-life career ends?

A) It accomplishes something important, swapping impact for income.
B) It allows older people to take a sabbatical from work.
C) It provides more leisure time for older people.
D) It pays well and benefits society.

Question 55

Which of the following offers an alternative to either retirement or full-time work by spreading the available work for a position over a number of workers?

A) a new career
B) company-sponsored volunteer work
C) flex-time
D) job sharing

Question 56

Which of the following is an advantage of delayed retirement and part-time work options for older Canadians?

A) People can find better jobs with higher pay and benefits.
B) A job helps people to avoid boredom and cognitive decline.
C) A job keeps experienced workers on the job to train younger employees.
D) People have more fun and have less responsibility when working part-time.

Question 57

Many older people state that they like to work after retirement for which of the following reasons?

A) to avoid boredom
B) for additional money to spend on leisure activities
C) to avoid loneliness
D) the satisfaction of working

Question 58

Harry works for the Canadian Public Service.He is getting close to retirement,and will have a good pension when he does retire.He hopes to travel and spend time with his grandchildren while he is still young and healthy enough to do so.What is currently the most popular retirement age for public-sector employees?

A) 53
B) 55
C) 58
D) 63

Question 59

A CARP study of Canadian workers found that what percentage planned to work part-time in retirement for a different employer in a different type of work?

A) 16%
B) 30%
C) 60%
D) 90%

Question 60

Edward is due to retire in one year.He is making plans for his retirement,but he has several worries about it.Which of the following is the major concern for pre-retirees when considering their retirement?

A) a drop of standard of living
B) the cost of healthcare
C) that they would die before they could retire
D) that economic conditions would prevent retirement

Question 61

What percentage of Canadians who are 25 years of age or older have an employer pension plan?

A) 18%
B) 23%
C) 31%
D) 37%

Question 62

List the reasons that an end to mandatory retirement will still not necessarily entice older workers to stay employed.

Question 63

In the future,which factor may make retirement an attractive option for more people than ever before?

A) diverse paths in retirement
B) a desire to leave work and poor health
C) a desire to relax
D) a desire to get away from the negative attitudes of employers

Question 64

Your great uncle Bob is always carrying around his laptop,and he is constantly checking his phone for messages.He has an active social life,and he belongs to several service clubs.What term does Ekerdt (1986)use to define the life that your uncle is currently living?

A) the busy ethic
B) the retirement transition
C) the involvement ethic
D) the senior transition

Question 65

Discuss the benefits of phased-in retirement.

Question 66

The concept of the "life portfolio" (Corbett 2007)consists of a retired person's commitments to specific activities.This concept includes which of the following?

A) family
B) finances
C) community service
D) recreation

Question 67

In 1976,what percentage of senior women stated that they had never held a job?

A) 24%
B) 37%
C) 42%
D) 54%

Question 68

Canada is predicting a labour shortage in the near future.What industries and professions may be affected by this labour shortage?

Question 69

What is the difficulty involved in describing a typical pattern of retirement for women?

A) Women have not been compared to men in their attitudes toward retirement.
B) Few women work full-time, making it difficult to find a sample large enough to enable accurate conclusions.
C) No studies, to date, have been done to determine the characteristics of women's retirement.
D) Women follow different and more varied career paths than men.

Question 70

Which of the following statements can be made about women in the workforce?

A) Women are overrepresented in unions.
B) Women's exits from the labour force bring about smaller pensions.
C) Women are underrepresented in the service sector.
D) Women's retirement is similar to men's retirement.

Question 71

When compared to men,which task do women retire earlier to perform?

A) to care for a spouse
B) to care for their grandchildren
C) to volunteer
D) to do more domestic chores

Question 72

According to the text,there are three types of workers who tend to take early retirement.What are these three types of workers? Provide a brief explanation of each.

Question 73

Interview someone who has recently retired.Why did he or she choose to retire,or was he or she involuntarily retired? List and discuss those reasons with the individual.

Question 74

Interview someone who has retired but has decided to return to the workforce for an encore career.Has this been a positive experience? Why or why not?

Question 75

According to Ekerdt (1986),how do the majority of people who retire subscribe to their retirement?

A) by searching for an encore career
B) by undertaking estate planning
C) by leading an increasingly less healthy lifestyle
D) by making social and financial plans and leading a healthy lifestyle

Question 76

As Canadian women are spending more years in the workforce,which of the following scenarios is likely to occur?

A) A woman will become less able to care for her husband.
B) A woman's likelihood of joint retirement will decrease.
C) A woman's job prospects will decrease due to the aging process.
D) A woman's family will not need to financially support her as much.