Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-mkpzs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T16:06:21.907Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Volunteering among Japanese older adults: how are hours of paid work and unpaid work for family associated with volunteer participation?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 July 2018

Erika Kobayashi ,
Yoko Sugihara ,
Taro Fukaya  and
Jersey Liang
Erika Kobayashi*
Affiliation:
Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Japan
Yoko Sugihara
Affiliation:
Tokyo Metropolitan University, Japan
Taro Fukaya
Affiliation:
Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Japan
Jersey Liang
Affiliation:
University of Michigan, USA
*
*Corresponding author. Email: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

As the population ages, older adults are increasingly expected to play multiple productive roles. This study examined how hours of paid or unpaid work were associated with volunteering among older Japanese. Data came from the 2012 National Survey of the Japanese Elderly, a nationwide survey of Japanese aged 60 and older (N = 1,324). We performed multinominal logistic regression analyses to predict volunteering (regular or occasional versus non-volunteer) based on hours of paid work and unpaid work for family consisting of sick/disabled care, grandchild care and household chores. Those who worked moderate hours were most likely to be a regular volunteer while working 150 hours or more per month had a lower probability of volunteering, regardless of whether the work was paid or unpaid. Thus, full-time level work competed with volunteering for both paid and unpaid work for family, but it was more so for paid work. By types of activities, doing household chores and substantial grandchild care were positively associated with volunteering, and the latter complementary relationship was explained by a larger community network among grandparents. Our findings indicate that delaying retirement from full-time paid work may reduce the supply of regular volunteers in the community. Thus, policies to increase part-time work for older adults as well as the types of volunteer work in which paid workers can participate are necessary.

Keywords

productivityemploymentcare-givinggrandparentingvolunteer activity
Type
Article
Information
Ageing & Society , Volume 39 , Issue 11 , November 2019 , pp. 2420 - 2442
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2018 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Abraham, KG, Helms, S and Presser, S (2009) How social processes distort measurement: the impact of survey nonresponse on estimates of volunteer work in the United States. American Journal of Sociology 114, 1129–1165.Google Scholar
Bulanda, JR and Jendrek, MP (2016) Grandparenting roles and volunteer activity. Journals of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences 71B, 129–140.Google Scholar
Bureau of Labor Statistics (2016) Volunteering in the United States – 2015. Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Department of Labor. Available online at http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/volun.pdf (Accessed 2 February 2017).Google Scholar
Burr, JA, Choi, NG, Mutchler, JE and Caro, FG (2005) Caregiving and volunteering: are private and public helping behaviors linked? Journals of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences 60B, S247–S256.Google Scholar
Butler, RN (1985) Introduction. In Butler, RN and Gleason, HP (eds), Productive Aging: Enhancing Vitality in Later Life. New York: Springer, pp. xi–xix.Google Scholar
Butrica, BA, Johnson, RW and Zedlewski, SR (2009) Volunteer dynamics of older Americans. Journals of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences 64B, 644–655.Google Scholar
Carr, DC and Kail, BL (2013) The influence of unpaid work on the transition out of full-time paid work. The Gerontologist 53, 92–101.Google Scholar
Chambré, SM (1984) Is volunteering a substitute for role loss in old age? An empirical test of activity theory. The Gerontologist 24, 292–298.Google Scholar
Choi, LH (2003) Factors affecting volunteerism among older adults. Journal of Applied Gerontology 22, 179–196.Google Scholar
Choi, NG, Burr, JA, Mutchler, JE and Caro, FG (2007) Formal and informal volunteer activity and spousal caregiving among older adults. Research on Aging 29, 99–124.Google Scholar
Clary, EG, Snyder, M, Ridge, RD, Copeland, J, Stukas, AA, Haugen, J and Miene, P (1998) Understanding and assessing the motivations of volunteers: a functional approach. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 74, 1516–1530.Google Scholar
Farkas, JI and Himes, CL (1997) The influence of caregiving and employment on the voluntary activities of midlife and older women. Journals of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences 52B, S180–S189.Google Scholar
Fischer, LR, Mueller, DP and Cooper, PW (1991) Older volunteers: a discussion of the Minnesota Senior Study. The Gerontologist 31, 183–194.Google Scholar
Hank, K and Erlinghagen, M (2010) Dynamics of volunteering in older Europeans. The Gerontologist 50, 170–178.Google Scholar
Hayslip, B Jr and Kaminski, PL (2005) Grandparents raising their grandchildren: a review of the literature and suggestions for practice. The Gerontologist 45, 262–269.Google Scholar
Herzog, AR, Kahn, RL, Morgan, JN, Jackson, JS and Antonucci, TC (1989) Age differences in productive activities. Journal of Gerontology 44, S129–S138.Google Scholar
Hook, JL (2004) Reconsidering the division of household labor: incorporating volunteer work and informal support. Journal of Marriage and Family 66, 101–117.Google Scholar
Hoyert, DL and Seltzer, MM (1992) Factors related to the well-being and life activities of family caregivers. Family Relations 41, 74–81.Google Scholar
Jung, Y, Gruenewald, TL, Seeman, TE and Sarkisian, CA (2010) Productive activities and development of frailty in older adults. Journals of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences 65B, 256–261.Google Scholar
Kobayashi, E and Liang, J (2011) Kourei-sha no syakai-teki network ni okeru karei henka to cohort sa: Zenkoku kourei-sha jyudan chosa data no multi-level bunseki [Age and cohort differences in social networks among older adults: findings from nationwide longitudinal survey for Japanese elderly through multilevel analysis]. Shakaigaku Hyoron [Japanese Sociological Review] 62, 356–374.Google Scholar
Komatsu, S, Saito, T and Kai, I (2010) Mago no ikuji ni sankasuru sohubo no seishinteki kenkou ni kansuru bunkenteki kousatsu [Review of literature on mental health of grandparents participating in grandchild care]. Nihon Kōshū Eisei Zasshi [Japanese Journal of Public Health] 57, 1005–1014.Google Scholar
Krause, N, Liang, J, Bennett, J, Kobayashi, E, Akiyama, H and Fukaya, T (2010) A descriptive analysis of religious involvement among older adults in Japan. Ageing & Society 30, 671–696.Google Scholar
Lancee, B and Radl, J (2012) Social connectedness and the transition from work to retirement. Journals of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences 67B, 481–490.Google Scholar
Lancee, B and Radl, J (2014) Volunteering over the life course. Social Forces 93, 833–862.Google Scholar
Lee, S, Saito, T, Takahashi, M and Kai, I (2008) Volunteer participation among older adults in Japan: an analysis of the determinants of participation and reasons for non-participation. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics 47, 173–187.Google Scholar
Li, YP, Chen, YM and Chen, CH (2013) Volunteer transitions and physical and psychological health among older adults in Taiwan. Journals of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences 68B, 997–1008.Google Scholar
Li, Y and Ferraro, KF (2006) Volunteering in middle and later life: is health a benefit, barrier or both? Social Forces 85, 497–519.Google Scholar
Luoh, MC and Herzog, AR (2002) Individual consequences of volunteer and paid work in old age: health and mortality. Journal of Health and Social Behavior 43, 490–509.Google Scholar
McNamara, TK and Gonzales, E (2011) Volunteer transitions among older adults: the role of human, social, and cultural capital in later life. Journals of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences 66B, 490–501.Google Scholar
Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (2016) Heisei 28-nenban Kousei Roudou Hakusho [White Paper on Health, Labour and Welfare 2016]. Available online at http://www.mhlw.go.jp/wp/hakusyo/kousei/16/ (Accessed 30 November 2017).Google Scholar
Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (2017) Heisei 28-nen Kokumin Seikatsu Kiso Chosa no gaikyo [Overview of Comprehensive Survey of Living Conditions 2016]. Available online at http://www.mhlw.go.jp/toukei/saikin/hw/k-tyosa/k-tyosa16/index.html (Accessed 30 November 2017).Google Scholar
Morrow-Howell, N (2010) Volunteering in later life: research frontiers. Journals of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences 65B, 461–469.Google Scholar
Morrow-Howell, N, Hinterlong, J, Rozario, PA and Tang, F (2003) Effects of volunteering on the well-being of older adults. Journals of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences 58B, S137–S145.Google Scholar
Mutchler, JE, Burr, JA and Caro, FG (2003) From paid worker to volunteer: leaving the paid workforce and volunteering in later life. Social Forces 81, 1267–1293.Google Scholar
National Institute of Population and Social Security Research (2017) Nihon no shourai suikei jinko (Heisei 29-nen suikei) [Population Projections for Japan (2017)]. Available online at http://www.ipss.go.jp/pp-zenkoku/j/zenkoku2017/pp_zenkoku2017.asp (Accessed 2 May 2017).Google Scholar
Okun, MA, Barr, A and Herzog, AR (1998) Motivation to volunteer by older adults: a test of competing measurement models. Psychology and Aging 13, 608–621.Google Scholar
Okun, MA, Yeung, EW and Brown, S (2013) Volunteering by older adults and risk of mortality: a meta-analysis. Psychology and Aging 28, 564–577.Google Scholar
Radloff, LS (1977) The CES-D Scale: a self-report depression scale for research in the general population. Applied Psychological Measurement 1, 385–401.Google Scholar
Rubin, DB (1987) Multiple Imputation for Nonresponse in Surveys. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons.Google Scholar
Sneed, RS and Cohen, S (2013) A prospective study of volunteerism and hypertension risk in older adults. Psychology and Aging 28, 578–586.Google Scholar
Statistics Bureau (2017 a) Result of the Population Estimates. Statistics Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. Available online at http://www.stat.go.jp/english/data/jinsui/index.htm (Accessed 29 November 2017).Google Scholar
Statistics Bureau (2017 b) Labour Force Survey. Statistics Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. Available online at http://www.stat.go.jp/english/data/roudou/index.htm (Accessed 2 February 2017).Google Scholar
Statistics Bureau (2017 c) Survey on Time Use and Leisure Activities. Statistics Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. Available online at http://www.stat.go.jp/english/data/shakai/index.htm (Accessed 30 November 2017).Google Scholar
Sugihara, Y, Sugisawa, H, Shibata, H and Harada, K (2008) Productive roles, gender, and depressive symptoms: evidence from a national longitudinal study of late-middle-aged Japanese. Journals of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences 63B, P227–P234.Google Scholar
Taniguchi, H (2006) Men's and women's volunteering: gender differences in the effects of employment and family characteristics. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly 35, 83–101.Google Scholar
Tomioka, M, Kurumatani, N and Hosoi, H (2017) Association between social participation and 3-year change in instrumental activities of daily living in community-dwelling elderly adults. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society 65, 107–113.Google Scholar
Van Willigen, M (2000) Differential benefits of volunteering across the life course. Journals of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences 55B, S308–S318.Google Scholar
Wilson, J and Musick, M (1997) Who cares? Toward an integrated theory of volunteer work. American Sociological Review 62, 694–713.Google Scholar