Marital status and change in income status 10 years after retirement

Abstract

This article reports the findings of a study on the effect of marital status on the income status of people at retirement and 10 years later and the change in income status between these two points. The findings indicate that the income status of elderly people differs significantly, depending on their marital background both at retirement and 10 years later. Furthermore, marital background strongly affects the degree of change in income status during the 10 years after retirement only for women. The study also found that human capital variables have strong mediating effects on the income status of men and women. The implications of these findings for policy are discussed.