Work

Does Work Matter? Post-Retirement Survival of United Kingdom Postal Workers, 1860–1909

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: This article considers the impact of occupation on mortality using a dataset of over 9,000 male postal workers who can be traced from retirement to death. For each worker, we know their demographic characteristics, occupation, location, and cause of retirement. The article uses these data to model the impact of postal work on survival post-retirement, showing that type of occupation and cause of retirement had significant effects on survival for those pensioners who retired for medical reasons. Different occupations were exposed to varying risks, which led to occupationally distinct patterns of medical causes of retirement. These differing causes of retirement, in turn, led to different survival chances after a worker retired. The article demonstrates how a long-term view can improve our understanding of adult mortality in the United Kingdom in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Source: Social Science History

DOI: 10.1017/ssh.2026.10145

Authors: Harry Smith, David Green, Laura Newman, Nicola Shelton

Institutions: University of Exeter, King's College London, University College London

Language: English

Topic: Retirement, Disability, and Employment

Subfield: Demography

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Decent work and economic growth, Good health and well-being

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,550