Forget retirement: Older single women love their jobs

Work has its satisfactions, and for many single women of the baby boom generation it means staying on the job well past retirement age, according to a survey released Tuesday.

Del Webb, a builder of active adult communities, reported that 51 percent of single, working female boomers planned to continue working in their current job for at least five more years, and a third planned to retire between the ages of 65 and 69.

(The boomers, born from 1946 to 1964, are currently age 50 to 69.)

Del Webb, citing U.S. Census data, reported that as many as 28 million, or 37 percent, of the country’s 76 million baby boomers were single women.

The survey was conducted online in December by Harris Poll on behalf of Del Webb’s parent, PulteGroup, among 1,020 single U.S. women ages 50 to 68, 330 of whom were currently working full time.

“We’ve seen that single female boomers are happier, healthier and more confident than ever, and our survey results show that those who are still working aren’t rushing to retire,”Del Webb division president Lindy Oliva said in a statement.

 “At our Del Webb communities, we know a growing number of these empowered women continue to work well past the age of 65, simply because they love their jobs. These single boomers are carving their own paths professionally and personally.”

Although 49 percent of survey participants had already reached their personal career goals, many were now pursuing their career passions.

Among those working full time, 20 percent planned to begin an “encore career” in their retirement years in a job that could provide both greater meaning and purpose and a continued income.