Spousal preferences for joint retirement: Evidence from a multiactor survey among older dual-earner couples.

Abstract

The general assumption in past research on coupled retirement is that men and women prefer joint retirement. The current study tests this assumption and hypothesizes that preferences to retire jointly are associated with a) the work and relationship attachment of both members of the couple, and b) the respective spouse's preferences. The results show that the majority of dual-earner couples have no preference for joint retirement. Male and female spouses with either weak work attachment or strong relationship attachment are more likely to prefer to retire jointly. Moreover, spouses strongly influence each other's preferences.

The impact of longstanding illness and common mental disorder on competing employment exits routes in older working age: A longitudinal data-linkage study in Sweden

“…The results highlighted other important determinants of employment exits, independent of health, which were also specific to employment exit routes. Being married increased the likelihood of early retirement for women, consistent with studies observing that having a spouse represents an important pull factor into retirement [6,35]. Men in lower social occupational classes had a lower subdistribution hazard rate of retiring early.…”

The changing world of work and retirement

“…This implies that couples with, for example, an age difference of 8 years, on average retire 5.5 years apart (Kridahl & Kolk, 2018). Eismann, Henkens, and Kalmijn (2017) suggest that besides lack of opportunity, diverting preferences also matter. They found in a Dutch survey among 60-plus older workers and their spouses that the majority of men (54%) and women (55%) did not have a strong preference to retire jointly.…”

Adjustment of Couples to the Transition to Retirement: The Interplay of Intra- and Interpersonal Emotion Regulation in Daily Life

“…For example, it has been reported that dual-earner couples often plan to retire together and cohort effects on the transition to retirement reflecting different realities regarding gender equality in the workforce (Moen et al, 2006;Ho and Raymo, 2009). Other studies have found that younger dual-earner couples do not generally prefer to retire jointly, only if they report high levels of relationship and low levels of work attachment (Eismann et al, 2017) and that perceived influence on retirement decisions by the partner yields ambivalent results calling for validating the need of the retirees for autonomy while including the partner in the retirement process (Smith and Moen, 2004). Furthermore, this opens the door for further investigation into the cohort effects of the life transition and poses questions regarding possible societal changes and their effect on the transition of couples to retirement.…”