Related: 4 trends in retirement planning

What retirement was like for each group varied greatly, and was dependent on the group each subject belonged to: Professionals were more likely to continue working part-time, although not for the money, while those who had disjointed careers were more likely not to have retirement as an option at all but had to continue working, perhaps in self-employment.

The administrative types, meanwhile, did retire, but were more likely to embark on volunteerism or engage in family activities.

External factors from subjects’ working days, such employment; family caring history; access to resources—in particular, material and financial resources; social networks; cultural capital, including education; and physical and mental health in younger and middle ages all heavily influenced how each group experienced retirement, or the lack of it.

There were also gender and class differences. While men and women with similar career histories had similar retirement expectations and experiences, gender and class, as well as access to resources, weighed in on how retirement presented itself to them.

For instance, women who had held administrative positions but had also been very involved in family networks were more optimistic about retirement because it meant more opportunities to spend time with family and friends.

Men with semiskilled careers, in contrast, worried more about identity loss and inactivity in retirement.

Predictably enough, those who were more privileged during employment were likely to be more optimistic and contented in retirement; they could and did launch new ventures and enjoyed them.

On the other hand, those who had lacked opportunities during their working years were more concerned about losing their work-related identities and feared financial instability.

In sum, those with more advantages early in life and in their careers were able to experience better and more satisfying retirements than those who lacked opportunities and resources during their working years.