Over the last fifty years, the average age of retirement for American men and women has dropped. Between 1950 and 1955, the average retirement age for men was 68.5 years and for women 67.9 years. During the 1970s and 1980s, the average retirement age for men was about 62 years. During the same time period, the average retirement age for women was about 63 years. Between 1990 and 2000, the average at retirement dropped again, and now stands at 62.6 years for men and 61.4 years for women. The falling age of retirement coupled with increasing longevity means that Americans can expect more years of retirement. Male workers who retired between 1950 and 1955 could expect an average of 12 years of retirement. Female workers during the same time period could expect on average 13.6 years of retirement. By 2000, the expected average number of retirement years had risen to 18 for men and 21.7 for women.