Consequence of Retirement on Divorce

Much research in sociology has explored the relationship between work status and the risk of divorce; however, this body of research has not systematically expanded to the relationship between retirement and the risk of gray divorce—divorce involving those aged 50 and above. Even less is known about how the transition from a non-retiree to a retiree affects the risk of gray divorce. Using a fuzzy regression discontinuity design with the data from 1992 to 2020 rounds of the Health and Retirement Study, the current study attempts to identify the local average treatment effect of retirement on the risk of gray divorce among those induced to retire by the eligibility for Social Security retirement benefits. Results show that retirement induced by the eligibility for Social Security retirement benefits reduces the risk of gray divorce. This negative local average treatment effect of retirement is more pronounced for men and more recent birth cohorts than for women and older birth cohorts.