Retirement Transition Research Articles

Social Participation Through the Retirement Transition: Differences by Gender and Employment Status.

This study examines how retirees' formal and informal social participation change over time and investigates gendered differences. Seven waves of the Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing track the frequency of social participation. A comparison group of employed individuals, weighted with coarsened exact matching, controls for age and time trends, and mixed model regressions estimate changes over time. Retirees show a gradual decline in the frequency of meeting friends and an abrupt decrease in the frequency of attending a social gathering, compared to their working peers. These trends are much stronger for men than women, and compound pre-existing gender differences in social participation. The more severe decline in the social participation of men is of great concern and points to the persistence of gendered employment structures into the retirement transition, putting Korean retirees at risk of social isolation and related health deterioration.

Does Retirement Change What Makes Us Satisfied With Life? An Examination of Response Shift With a Matched Control Group Design

Abstract Research has shown that life satisfaction depends on a person’s resources and that retirement is associated with resource gains and losses. We examine if these resources contribute equally to life satisfaction before and after the retirement transition. Coming from the psychological concept of response shifts, we conceptualize an adjustment process to major life changes in which also the association between different resources and life satisfaction could be subject of change with retirement. Data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (2004–2016, every 2 years) were used to study people who retired over the course of 2 consecutive waves. Using propensity score matching, we identified n = 991 retirees and a matched control group of n = 991 people with similar sociodemographic characteristics but who were continuously working. We then used a seemingly unrelated regression model to examine how the association between life satisfaction and economic (income, assets), personal (morbidity, functional limitations, club membership), and social-relational resources (network size, partner, parenthood, grandparenthood) changed from the pre- to postretirement wave. Retirement was associated with a slight increase in life satisfaction and only moderate to minor declines in income and club memberships. We found retirement-related changes in the predictor strength for financial resources (i.e., decline for income, increase for assets) but not for the other resources. In sum, the study provides some evidence that retirees reprioritize the importance of economic resources only for their overall life satisfaction at retirement. We discuss the findings in light of (economic) social inequality which points to potential for further research.

What do I make of the rest of my life? Global and quotidian life construal across the retirement transition

Retirement means relinquishing the daily structure that work provides and the career-dependent meanings that it offers life narratives. The retirement transition can therefore involve contemplating both how to spend newly-freed daily time and the implications of retirement for one’s life narrative. We investigate how American professionals construe their working and retirement lives, in a qualitative study drawing on 215 interviews with 120 participants, including 12 interviewed longitudinally throughout their years-long retirement transitions. We identify two orthogonal dimensions for contemplating the work and retirement domains of one’s life – global and quotidian life construal – and four basic modes of cognition that arise from variability across these dimensions. We induce a theoretical model describing how construal of working life prefigures construal of retirement life, which then shapes the retirement life experience. This study contributes to construal level theory, narrative psychology, and the literatures on retirement transitions and the meaning of work.

Determinants of (in-)voluntary retirement: A systematic literature review

Involuntary retirement transitions have a variety of negative consequences for individuals and society as they can lead to poorer health or lower wellbeing. Therefore, it is of high relevance to better understand the factors influencing the voluntariness of retirement transitions. A systematic literature review was conducted to identify the known determinants of the voluntariness of retirement. Our final review includes 14 studies that empirically investigate this topic. Differentiated by micro-, meso- and macro-levels, we present the identified factors and discuss different ways of operationalizing voluntary or involuntary retirement. We found that most studies analyse individual factors. There is a gap in research on influencing factors at the company level as well as the welfare state level. In addition, it is of interest to examine whether and to what extent pension and labour market policy reforms have led to changes over time.

Subjective well-being across the retirement transition-Historical differences and the role of perceived control.

Given substantial cohort differences in psychosocial functioning, for example in perceived control, and ongoing pension reforms, the context of retirement has changed over the last decades. However, there is limited research on the consequences of such developments on historical differences in subjective well-being (SWB) in the retirement transition. In the present study, we investigated historical differences in change in life satisfaction and positive affect across the retirement transition. We further included perceived control as a predictor of change in well-being. Analyses were based on subsamples of retirees among three nationally representative samples of the German Ageing Survey (1996; 2002; 2008) and their respective follow-ups 6 years later. Results showed historical improvements in preretirement positive affect (i.e., later samples had higher preretirement levels). Contrastingly, earlier samples showed a larger increase in positive affect across the retirement transition compared to later samples. No historical differences were found in life satisfaction. Perceived control showed no historical improvement and did not seem to contribute to historical differences in subjective well-being. Nevertheless, we found that the association of perceived control and positive affect increased over historical time. The results showed that the historical context seems to play a role in the experience of retirement, and that it is helpful to distinguish between cognitive-evaluative and affective components of well-being. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Changes in labour market histories and their relationship with paid work around state pension age: evidence from three British longitudinal studies

AbstractMany countries have implemented policies to extend working lives in response to population ageing, yet there remains little understanding of what drives paid work in later life, nor how this is changing over time. This paper utilises the 1988/89 Survey of Retirement and Retirement Plans, the 1999 British Household Panel Survey and the 2008 English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, to investigate drivers of paid work in the ten years surrounding state pension age (SPA) for women and men in, comparing cohorts born in the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s. Using optimal matching analysis with logistic and multinomial regression models, the study assesses the relative importance of lifecourse histories, socio-economic circumstances and contemporaneous factors, in determining paid work in mid- and later life. Participation in paid work in the five years preceding and beyond SPA increased markedly for men and women across cohorts, with women's lifecourses and engagement with paid work changing considerably in these periods. However, for women, a lifetime history of paid work remained a crucially important predictor of paid work in later life, and this relationship has strengthened over time. Experiencing divorce has also become an important driver of paid work around SPA for the youngest cohort. Having children later, and still having a mortgage, also independently predict labour force participation for women and men. Across all cohorts and for women and men, working at these older ages was a function of higher income and better health. These findings suggest that policies which enable people to maintain ties to paid work across the lifecourse may be more effective at encouraging later-life employment than those concerned only with postponing the retirement transition.

Changes in Secondary Healthcare Use Over Retirement Transition: Examining Social Differences With Swedish Register Data.

BackgroundDespite its relevance for healthcare expenditures and public health, few studies have examined how secondary healthcare use changes during the retirement transition. We therefore use Swedish register data to examine whether retirement is associated with intensified secondary healthcare use overall and for specific subgroups based on gender and education.MethodsThe sample was all individuals registered in Sweden who retired from paid work in 2010. We used Generalised Estimating Equations models to analyse changes in two indicators of secondary healthcare use, namely specialist visits and hospitalisation, from 3 years prior to 5 years after retirement.ResultsRetirement is not associated with changes in specialist visits or hospitalisation per se. Three years before retirement, women were more likely to visit a specialist but less likely to be hospitalised than men; these gender differences disappeared approximately 1 year before retirement. Women with high education were more likely to visit a specialist than women with low education across the entire retirement transition, particularly post-retirement. Significant differences with regard to specialist visits between male educational groups only emerged 12 months after retirement. There were no educational differences with regard to hospitalisation.ConclusionsWe conclude that secondary healthcare use in Sweden does not generally change with retirement. However, over the course of retirement gender differences in secondary healthcare use tend to decrease and within-gender educational differences tend to increase. We interpret the results as reflecting the role of labour market institutions in contributing to gender differences but repressing educational differences in secondary healthcare use.

Becoming an academic retiree: A longitudinal study of women academics’ transition to retirement experiences from a university in the Republic of Ireland

ABSTRACT Retirement is a complex, dynamic process. While the occupational transitions of early and mid-career academics have received attention, their late-career transitions are under-researched. This study explored the impact of the transition to retirement on the everyday lives and relationships of women academics from a university in the Republic of Ireland. A qualitative, longitudinal approach was used. Semi-structured, individual interviews were completed pre-retirement (n = 7), with follow-up interviews up to 1-year post-retirement (n = 6). Thematic analysis using Braun and Clarke’s (2006) six-phase process generated four themes illustrating the participants’ transition to retirement experiences: (i) maintaining connections with academia; (ii) gaining control over time; (iii) navigating occupational identity through the transition; and (iv) changing physical environments through the retirement transition. For the research active senior academics, continued involvement with and passion for researching was pivotal to providing continuity and meaning in their post-retirement routines. Those without active research profiles adapted to retirement by maintaining connections with colleagues, using university facilities, and participating in former leisure occupations. Relationships were continued and strengthened for all participants. The themes reveal that women academics undergo a continuous occupational adaptation process, negotiating their occupational identity through engagement with former meaningful roles and occupations. This study contributes to understandings of the occupational transition to retirement, highlighting the role of identity and choice in the occupational adaptation process of women academics.

Future time perspective and personality trait change during the retirement transition: Insights from a six-wave longitudinal study in Sweden.

The present study examined associations between two future time perspective (FTP) dimensions (perceived opportunities and perceived time) and the Big Five personality traits during older adulthood, a developmental period that has received limited attention in personality development. Specifically, it tested whether FTP dimensions were cross-sectionally associated with personality traits, as well as if they predicted changes on those traits during a time when participants were transitioning to retirement. Participants from the Health, Ageing and Retirement Transitions in Sweden (HEARTS) study (N = 5,913, Mage = 63.09 years) reported on their FTP at the initial assessment and on their Big Five personality traits on six assessments 1 year apart. Latent growth curve models were fit to examine FTP as a predictor of level and change in the Big Five traits over time, with perceived time and opportunities included as unique predictors. Results found that broader FTP was associated with higher extraversion, agreeableness, openness to experience, and conscientiousness, but lower neuroticism initially. However, results indicated associations were stronger and sometimes only significant for perceived opportunities not time. Regarding FTP as a predictor of personality trait change, modest evidence was found that perceived opportunities predicted changes in neuroticism and openness over time. The present study extends past work by showing the importance of capturing different components of FTP when examining personality traits during older adulthood. Research needs to further explore the longitudinal predictive effects of FTP, focusing on more proximal assessments and how FTP changes during retirement. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Who will I be when I retire? The role of organizational commitment, group memberships and retirement transition framing on older worker’s anticipated identity change in retirement

Retirement is an eagerly awaited life transition for many older workers, but some may anticipate their exit from the workforce will result in loss of meaningful work-based activities and social interactions. For older workers more committed to their organization, retirement might represent a threat to maintaining a consistent, positive identity. Across three pre-registered studies of US adults aged 49 to 75, we investigated the relationship between organizational commitment and anticipated identity changes in retirement. Studies 1 and 2 (N = 1059) found that older workers largely anticipated positive changes to their identity in retirement. In Study 2, we divided older workers into two conditions and used a framing manipulation to present retirement as either a ‘role exit’ or a ‘role entry’. In the ‘role exit’ condition, older workers less committed to their organization anticipated more positive changes when they held more group memberships compared to those with fewer group memberships. Those in the ‘role entry’ condition anticipated significantly more positive changes to their identity in retirement than those in the ‘role exit’ condition, but did not anticipate more positive changes based on organizational commitment or group memberships. More group memberships, but not lower organizational commitment, was associated with more positive anticipation of identity changes in retirement. Study 3 (N = 215) surveyed older adults after they had retired, finding that identity changes experienced post-retirement were less positive than those anticipated by older workers. We discuss the theoretical and applied implications of these findings for older workers’ retirement decisions and wellbeing.

Gender differences in retirement transition goals and barriers: a case study in the university sector

ABSTRACT Australia’s retirement system is often heralded as world-class. Yet research investigating the superannuation system has reported highly gendered outcomes even in the university sector, which has generous superannuation provisions and established career management practices. This study investigates gender differences in retirement transition goals and barriers in the sector. Data from university employees who are 50 years or older show that gender differences exist. Women are more likely than men to be frustrated in their attempts to transition into retirement as desired and are more likely to desire a reduction in workdays per week. Men are more likely to prefer to continue working as currently or to reduce responsibility. Economic reasons are more likely to be the barrier for women, while organisational reasons are more likely to be the barrier for men.

Social Participation Through the Retirement Transition: Differences by Gender and Employment Status

Social Participation Through the Retirement Transition: Differences by Gender and Employment Status

IQ in Young Adulthood and Depressive Symptoms Over the Retirement Transition

Retirement can be a challenging life transition for mental health. Higher levels of IQ in young adulthood have been shown to be advantageous for different outcomes later in life such as quality of life and well-being. However, it remains unclear whether possessing higher cognitive abilities in early life also favors individuals’ mental health when facing challenges related to the retirement transition. In this study, we therefore investigated the relationship between IQ in young adulthood and depressive symptoms over the retirement transition. We used data of six waves from the longitudinal population-based HEalth, Aging and Retirement in Sweden (HEARTS) study, as well as data on IQ in young adulthood from conscription. In a piecewise structural equation model, we modelled trajectories of depressive symptoms (measured by the CES-D scale) before and after retirement and in relation to young adulthood IQ (n = 1722 men). Results indicated an average decrease in depressive symptoms over the retirement transition for this sample of men. Higher childhood IQ was associated with further reduction in post-retirement depressive symptoms while controlling for education, retirement age, and memory ability and cardiovascular health at baseline. Our findings support the conclusion that higher IQ in young adulthood may act as a protective factor for mental health in the retirement transition. Individuals with higher IQ in young adulthood may have acquired coping strategies throughout their life-course, which they can apply when handling challenges related to retiring.

The Interplay Between Retirement Transition Sequences and Mental Health: Focusing on Gender Differences

Although retirement has been given a substantial amount of attention, there are gaps in the literature on 1) the various forms of retirement (nature= voluntary/involuntary, timing= early/ late, type= full/ partial) using with previous employment history, and 2) gender differences in retirement transition. Drawing on the life course perspective, this study examined the gender differences in retirement transition sequences using the labor participation history and various forms of retirement. Data are from the 2004 to 2016 HRS with 1,653 older workers. Sequence analysis was used to answer how individuals experienced retirement in the extended time frame. OLS regression analysis was used to estimate the relationship between retirement transition sequences and depression. For both genders, eight clusters of retirement transition sequences were identified. However, the most prevalent group for males was those who experience voluntary retirement transition from full-time work in mid-time point (19%), while the most prevalent group was a gradual involuntary retirement (21%) for females. Regarding the association with depression, those who experienced voluntary retirement after full-time work in all different time points (early, mid, late) and those who retired from self-employment were less likely to have depressive symptoms for males. For females, only those who experienced voluntary retirement from full-time work in mid-time point were less likely to have depressive symptoms. This result contributes to identifying the heterogeneity of retirement transition sequences and their association with depression. The result suggests important implications of gender-specified intervention programs to prevent involuntary retirement and mental health support program for involuntary retirees.

Gendered retirement pathways across lifecourse regimes

AbstractIn order to capture the rapidly changing reality of older workers, it is important to study retirement not as a one-off transition, but rather as a series of diverse pathways that unfold during the period before and after reaching the full retirement age. The retirement transitions of men and women have been shown to vary widely according to individual characteristics such as health, education and marital status, but also according to macro-institutional factors, such as welfare regimes and gender norms. While there is a consensus about the combined influence of institutional and individual factors in shaping retirement transitions, previous research has rarely included both levels of analysis. This study aims to close this research gap. Using a pooled-country dataset from three panel surveys, covering 11 nations, we examine the retirement pathways of 1,594 women and 1,105 men during a 12-year period (2004–2016) around the country- and gender-specific full pension age. Results show that retirement pathways diverge considerably across countries and lifecourse regimes. The distribution of men and women between the different pathways is also variable, both within and across societal contexts. More importantly, the influence of individual-level characteristics, such as education, on the gendering of retirement pathways is not identical across societal contexts. These findings provide useful insights into the gender-differentiated implications of policies aimed at extending working lives.

Supplemental Material for Subjective Well-Being Across the Retirement Transition—Historical Differences and the Role of Perceived Control

Supplemental Material for Subjective Well-Being Across the Retirement Transition—Historical Differences and the Role of Perceived Control

How does work impact daily sleep quality? A within-individual study using actigraphy and self-reports over the retirement transition.

This study examined how the cessation of work at retirement affects daily measures of actigraphy-measured and self-rated sleep quality. Time in bed or asleep and stress at bedtime were examined as potential mechanisms. In total 117 employed participants who were aged 60-72years and planned to retire soon were recruited to the Swedish Retirement Study. Sleep quality was measured in a baseline week using accelerometers, diaries, and questionnaires. Subjective sleep measures were sleep quality, restless sleep, restorative sleep, getting enough sleep, estimated wake after sleep onset, difficulties falling asleep, too early final awakening, and difficulties waking up. Actigraphy measures were sleep efficiency, wake after sleep onset, and average awakening length. After 1 and 2years, the measurements were repeated for the now retired participants. Daily variations in sleep quality before and after retirement were analysed using multilevel modelling, with time in bed or asleep and stress at bedtime as potential mediators. We found that several self-reports of sleep improved (e.g., +0.2 standard deviations for sleep quality and +0.5 standard deviations for restorative sleep) while objective sleep quality remained unchanged or decreased slightly with retirement (e.g., -0.8% for sleep efficiency). Increased time in bed or asleep and stress at bedtime accounted partially for the improvements in self-rated sleep quality at retirement. In conclusion, actigraph-measured and self-reported sleep quality do not change in concert at retirement, highlighting the interest of studying both outcomes. The main effects of retirement from work concern subjective experiences of recovery more than sleep quality per se.

Autonomy and loneliness – longitudinal within- and between-person associations among Swedish older adults

Objectives Loneliness is an important risk factor for mental and physical health over the life span. Little is known about psychosocial predictors and consequences of loneliness apart from social network characteristics. One important factor that may both prevent from, but also be affected by loneliness, is perceived autonomy. Method In the present study, we investigated the longitudinal association of loneliness and autonomy over four years among participants of the Swedish Health, Aging and Retirement Transitions in Sweden (HEARTS) study (n = 5718, age 60–66 at baseline). We used a latent curve model with structured residuals, which distinguishes within- and between-person associations and includes cross-lagged parameters. Results Higher levels of autonomy at baseline were associated with lower levels of loneliness, and increases in autonomy were associated with decreases in loneliness. When individuals felt more autonomous than usual, they also reported less loneliness. However, the cross-lagged paths were not significant, which means that autonomy did not predict loneliness over time on the within-person level, and loneliness did not predict autonomy over time. Conclusion Our findings show that higher autonomy was related to lower loneliness on different analytical levels, but the direction of effects is unclear. More research is needed to understand the development of this association over the life span.

Resonant Retiring? Experiences of Resonance in the Transition to Retirement.

In the process of life course transitions, relations between the self and the world transform, which can according to Hartmut Rosa be framed as resonance. This article focuses on the retirement transition and thus on the exit from gainful employment as one of the central spheres of our world relationship in late modernity. It raises the following questions: How do experiences of resonance change in the course of the retirement transition? Does the loss of gainful employment lead to disruptions or even the absence of resonance in terms of alienation? And which role do dimensions of social inequality, such as gender, income, education or mental health status play for resonance transformations in the transition to retirement? In terms of a reflexive mixed-methods design, this article combines quantitative panel data from the German Ageing Survey (2008–17) with a qualitative longitudinal study from the project “Doing Retiring” (2017–21). Our results show that the transition from work to retirement entails a specific “resonance choreography” that comprises a phase of disaffection (lack of resonance) at the end of one’s working life followed by a liminal phase in which people search for intensified experiences of resonance. We outline practices in which transitioning subjects seek out resonance, and the experiences they make within this process according to their social positions. We thereby find that the desire for resonance tends to be beyond intentional resonance management which manifests in products and services like coaching or wellness. In our conclusions, we discuss how resonance theory and retirement research/life course research can be fruitfully combined, but also highlight the methodological challenges the operationalization of resonance entails.

Flexibilizing the Retirement Transition: Why, How and for Whom? Conceptual Clarifications, Institutional Arrangements and Potential Consequences.

In many countries, flexibilizing the retirement transition is seen as an innovative policy which may help to solve some of the problems ageing societies face. The paper aims at specifying what is or can be meant by flexibilizing the retirement transition. The proposed conceptual framework contributes to a better understanding of the potential individual and structural consequences of flexibilized retirement transitions. It spells out four dimensions based on which measures of flexibilization can be differentiated, compared and examined more closely: aggregate vs. individual flexibilization (the latter resulting in gradual retirement), the temporal form and reference of flexibilizing measures, accessibility and eligibility, and financial risks and costs resulting from flexible transitions to retirement. These dimensions of comparison are exemplified by referring to existing measures of retirement flexibilization, in particular wage subsidies and partial pensions. Based on the conceptual argument, some of the potential consequences of flexibilized retirement transitions are discussed critically and in particular with regard to questions of social inequality. As these reflections show, the framework may also help to unpack the policy logic behind flexibilizing retirement transitions, and the very different interests it may serve.