Gender Differences in Retirement Satisfaction and its Antecedents

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Abstract
This article examines differences between men and women in levels of self-reported satisfaction with retirement and in selected antecedents of retirement satisfaction including health, marital status, occupational status, and income. Data from a sample of 1530 retired residents of Washington State are analyzed. The analysis suggests that retirement is not a categorically different experience for women than for men, particularly as retirement satisfaction seems responsive to the same causes regardless of gender. The lower levels of retirement satisfaction among women appear to be due to their lower incomes in retirement and, to a lesser extent, their lower probabilities of being married.