Marital characteristics and retirement decisions

This study assesses the effect of spouse and marital relationship character istics on labor force withdrawal. The authors further explore differences b etween husbands' and wives' retirement. The analyses are based on two waves of the National Survey of Families and Households. Marital characteristics influence retirement decisions in several ways and contribute significantl y to model fit, Husbands adjust their retirement in terms of wives' benefit eligibility, whereas wives' retirement is contingent on the couple's incom e. Husbands also tend to leave the labor force when their wives are ill. In addition, retirement decisions seem to reflect considerations about postre tirement marital quality and husband's status in the marriage. Gender diffe rences prevail with regard to the impact of work and marital history on ret irement decisions.