Breadwinner Models Revisited: How a Couple’s Combined Work Histories Influence the Retirement Transition

Abstract

Abstract As populations age, policymakers seek to stabilize pensions systems by encouraging late retirement and discouraging early economic inactivity. This study takes a novel approach to exploring an individual’s retirement transition into pension or early economic inactivity, locating individual choices in relation to their breadwinner status. It explores gender and country differences in Dutch, Spanish, and Swedish life-history data, which show that men who work less than their partners and dual earners retire into pension. Breadwinner status is particularly relevant in the Netherlands and for early retirement.