Pre-Retirement State-Sector Affiliation, Managerial Positions, and Subjective Age Among Older Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study from China
Yuyuan Zhou, Yijie Wang, Ziqing Wang, Chunfen WangObjective
Early-life experiences shape subjective age, but less is known about whether pre-retirement occupational positions matter. This study examines the associations of pre-retirement state-sector affiliation and managerial position with subjective age discrepancy among retired older adults in China.
Methods
Using data from the 2020 China Longitudinal Aging Social Survey, this study analyzed 3193 retired adults aged 60–80. State-sector affiliation was identified from respondents’ pre-retirement work organization type, and managerial position from pre-retirement job titles. Ordinary least squares regressions tested the associations between state-sector affiliation, managerial position, their interaction, and subjective age discrepancy. The Karlson-Holm-Breen method examined mediation by economic resources and social participation.
Results
Pre-retirement state-sector affiliation and managerial position were both significantly associated with lower subjective age discrepancy, indicating that these retirees felt younger relative to their chronological age. Their interaction was not significant, suggesting no reinforcing effect. Mediation analysis showed that economic resources partly explained the association between state-sector affiliation and subjective age discrepancy, whereas both economic resources and social participation mediated the association for managerial position. Heterogeneity analyses indicated that these associations were mainly observed among respondents aged 60–70, those with junior high school education or below, and men with managerial experience.
Conclusion
Pre-retirement occupational position is an important life-course factor related to subjective age discrepancy. Occupational stratification and institutional resource differences may extend into later life through economic security and social participation, shaping older adults’ relative age perception.