| Abstract |
- Shaped by life course and feminist perspectives, this study investigated the influence of finances, human capital, health, family situations, and work factors on two different retirement transitions among married and partnered men and women. Because women and men arrive at retirement under different life circumstances, logistic regression analyses were conducted separately by gender. Respondents were drawn from Waves 1—4 of the biennial, longitudinal Health and Retirement Survey (HRS) and included
individuals who retired between Waves 1 and 2 (1992—1994), Waves 2 and 3 (1994-1996),. and Waves 3 and 4 (1996—1998). Retirees (n = 1,275) transitioned from the labor force at Time 1 to either a partial or complete retirement at Time 2. Results indicated that,
relative to partially retired men, completely retired men had higher earnings at their job,
worked for larger companies, were more likely labor union members, were covered in pension plans, started pension incomes at Time 2, had health insurance that continued in retirement, likely covered partners in their health plan, were older, were in poorer health, and had provided 400+ hours of care to a grandchild in the last year. Relative to
completely retired men, partially retired men had more wealth, were more likely receiving health insurance coverage from their partners' health plan, had partners who were working for pay at Time 2, had fewer years at their last job, retired earlier than planned, and perceived their last jobs as important. Relative to partially retired women, completely retired women were more likely covered in pension plans, had health insurance that continued in retirement, were more likely labor union members, were White, were older, were in poorer health, and had grandchildren in the home at the time of retirement. Relative to completely retired women, partially retired women had partners
who were working for pay at Time 2, retired earlier than planned, and were providing
financial support to another individual. Results suggest that partial retirement is a
possible solution for workers trying to negotiate a labor force exit while keeping financial and health benefits. Implications and future directions were explored.
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