In addition, a number of recent studies suggest that more older adults may be willing to serve as a matter of self-interest. Studies following people over their lives link community engagement to prolonged physical and mental health in old age. So one might expect to see much clamoring to engage elders in service to communities, but the opposite is true. Most studies show that volunteering falls off sharply after retirement. Although their level of engagement has increased substantially since the early 1960s, older Americans still serve less than any other age group.
Housework is the next major activity absorbing time liberated in later life.
It is no surprise that a majority of older respondents to a recent Louis Harris poll lament the loss of usefulness after retirement. In and of itself, this loss of human potential would be cause for concern. But the stakes extend beyond personal fulfillment. Today, most Americans in the middle-generation face an overwhelming shortage of time, struggling to work long hours and raise children. Most significantly, this time-famine afflicts women, long the bastions of civic life in this country.