Sex Differences in the Antecedents and Consequences of Retirement

The purpose of this paper was to compare the antecedents and consequences of retirement among men and women. Data were analyzed from two surveys: the Retirement History Study (N for analysis = 1845) and the Duke Second Longitudinal Study (N = 235). The predictors and outcomes of retirement used in analyses were those suggested in previous research. The results suggest that (a) the variables that predict retirement for men do not predict retirement for women and (b) retirement affects substantially more outcomes for men than for women. For both sexes, however, retirement had both positive and negative effects. Discussion is focused upon the possible explanations for the sex differences observed.