Discuss job satisfaction among middle-aged adults.

Answers will vary. A Conference Board survey of some 5,000 households found that only 45% of American workers are satisfied with their jobs. Some 10% were unemployed, but others were unhappy with their pay, recognition, or health or retirement benefits. Job satisfaction is also associated with such factors as interesting work and the availability of child-care facilities. A study of more than 2,000 university employees found that job satisfaction increased steadily throughout middle adulthood. The gains were greatest for men, and especially for men who were white-collar workers, for example, professors. Some workers-particularly blue-collar workers-reported feelings of alienation and dissatisfaction. Some complained that supervisors treated them with disrespect and failed to ask them how to improve working conditions and productivity. These feelings are particularly painful for middle-aged workers when their supervisors are younger than they are. Women are often balancing the demands of the workplace and a family, and they may still experience a "glass ceiling" on the job. They may be sought out in the hiring process but find it difficult advance. Still, most women and blue-collar workers also reported more satisfaction on the job throughout middle age-just not as much as white-collar men.
The growing job satisfaction throughout middle age can be linked to factors such as increased expertise and income. Workers in middle adulthood may also have more realistic perceptions of their career goals. But as compared to younger workers, middle-aged workers tend to see work as more central in their lives and have a stronger work ethic.