CHAPTER 8: An Ecological Systems Framework for Work and Aging

We introduce a novel ecological systems framework to guide research and practice on work and aging. This framework delineates societal, organizational, individual, and temporal factors relevant to the study of work and aging. Specifically, the various potential influences of societal, institutional, and cultural factors, as well as normative organizational factors, and individual differences in demography on age-related work outcomes are described. Importantly, the role of time in the interplay between these various macro, meso, and micro systems on age-related work outcomes is considered. To advance this framework, potential theoretical models, directions for future research, and workforce implications for work and aging are discussed.