Exploring the Consequences of Discrimination and Health for Retirement by Race and Ethnicity: Results from the Health and Retirement Study

Abstract

This paper examines the association of structural discriminatory risk factors and health with retirement age. It uses data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS). Critical components of the analysis include ordinary least squares regressions to evaluate associations of discrimination (major lifetime discrimination, neighborhood disadvantage, work discrimination and everyday discrimination) and health with retirement age, while controlling for time, cohort, race, ethnicity, gender, marital status, education, health insurance, income and wealth. Interaction effects explore differences by discrimination and health. Individuals’ ages 51, employed full-time, part-time, or unemployed were drawn from the HRS Leave-Behind Questionnaire in 2006. Approximately half of the sample retired during the observation period 2008-2014. Key limitations are that valid and reliable measures of discrimination were queried only twice during an 8-year period, limiting our understanding of the timing of events as they relate to health and economic outcomes.