Previous research on retirement relied heavily on samples of male retirees; it also emphasized objective predictors of retirement adjustment, such as occupational position, income, or age. Some recent studies, however, indicate that retirement signifies a major life event for women. Furthermore, as the literature on role transitions suggests, it is a combination of objective and subjective retirement circumstances that impinge on adaptation to this life event. This study explores retirement conditions affecting women's preferred retirement timing and retirement satisfaction. It is based on the assumption that sex differences in the retirement experience render retirement adjustment processes different for men and women, and it aims at identifying retirement conditions that are of primary importance to women.
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