Abstract
Relevance deprivation syndrome refers to feelings of incompetence among retired people caused by them leaving their high status or influential jobs. The question then arises: do people in positions of power, like Danwei leaders in China, have a lower life satisfaction post-retirement compared to other groups? This study investigated the influence of serving as a Danwei leader before retirement on retirees’ life satisfaction, as well as differences in this influence and the channels through which they are affected. Based on the data of 5,873 respondents of the 2018 China Longitudinal Aging Social Survey, ordinary least-squares, ordered logistic regression, and propensity score matching models were used to investigate the influence, differences, and influential mechanisms of serving as a Danwei leader before retirement on retirees’ life satisfaction. We found that Danwei leaders experience a significantly positive impact on their life satisfaction post-retirement. Second, the positive impact of having served in this role on peoples’ post-retirement life satisfaction is related to the resulting higher income, social status, and better living habits. In contrast to the perspective of relevance deprivation syndrome, in China, having been a Danwei leader before retirement has a significantly positive impact on peoples’ life satisfaction post-retirement, with there being a significant difference observed among different types of retired Danwei leaders.
Highlights
Contemporary Chinese organizations and systems have various characteristics, with “Danwei” being the most appropriate manner in which to express them (Li, 2002)
Mediating Effects Model To test whether post-retirement income, social status, and living habits are mediating variables within the relationship between having been a Danwei leader before retirement on respondents’ post-retirement life satisfaction, this study utilized the method proposed by Baron and Kenny (1986) and built the following Models, (7) and (8), on the basis of Model (1): M = α + β2occupationi + δ2Xi + εi satisfactioni = α3 + β3occupationi + γM + δ3Xi + εi (7)
We examined the differences in the impact of serving as a Danwei leader on individuals from different demographic backgrounds on an individual’s life satisfaction after retirement
Summary
Contemporary Chinese organizations and systems have various characteristics, with “Danwei” being the most appropriate manner in which to express them (Li, 2002). Yang and Zhou (2017) selected data samples of older adults aged over 50 years from the national baseline data of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study in 2011 and analyzed the results using descriptive statistics and a structural equation model They found that social status has a significantly negative effect on the life satisfaction of older adults. Based on the social and cultural background of China, Chinese scholars Yang and Zhou (2017) found that the life satisfaction of older adults who had previously worked in government departments and institutions was higher than that of farmers, self-employed individuals, and general households after adding in the variables of the Danwei organizational style and their professional title level with “Chinese characteristics.”. Danwei leaders are more likely than normal people to have good living habits after retirement, which can promote them to get more sense of social participation, meaning that they have a positive impact on life satisfaction among retired Danwei leaders
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