Gender differences in pre-retirement attitudes and activities in a Puerto Rican sample

The objective of this study was to identify the pre-retirement attitudes and activities of personnel at the Medical Sciences Campus of the University of Puerto Rico in order to ascertain the existence of any differences by gender. It was expected that the persistence of the traditional double standard of conduct for men and women in contemporary Puerto Rican society would find women with a more positive attitude towards retirement since, it will not affect their self-esteem relative to the breadwinner role as it does for men. For purposes of this study a questionnaire was developed consisting of: background information, activity level indicator, and a pre-retirement attitude indicator. A sample of 235 subjects was systematically selected, of these 66 (28 per cent) are male and 169 (72 per cent) are female. The gender groups were sub-divided into occupational sub-categories of faculty and non-faculty. The average age of female faculty is 41 years as compared to 37 years for non-faculty females but both groups of males average 41 years. Females had lower levels of educational attainment than the male respondents and this results in their having a lower income level. The relation of occupational category to activity was significant but that of gender was not. Gender was found to influence the types of activities participated in. The findings lead to the conclusion that gender continues to play a central role in an individual's attitudes and activities within Puerto Rican society.