How content are retired men?

Husbands tend to be less happy in their marriage after retirement than before, according to a study conducted by University of Oklahoma sociologist Sampson Lee Blair. Retired men often have a difficult time adjusting to their new role in the household, especially those whose wives still are employed,

The assessment of marital quality by the employment wives of retired men often does not reflect their husbands' dissatisfaction. Whether or not their spouses are retired, they perceive their marriage as being happier than those of unemployed women.

Older men, whose attitudes were formed in the 1930s and 1940s, have more conservative beliefs as to what is an appropriate set of roles for males and females, Blair points out. "Most men believe that their job is the core of their identity--who they are is what they do, When they enter into retirement, that part of their identity is removed." If a re tired man's wife participates in the paid labor force, it serves to emphasize this loss of identity, especially if she...