Should I stay or should I go? An econometric analysis of retirement decisions by couples.

Summary This paper analyzes retirement decisions from a household perspective, treating the retirement timing of spouses as potentially interdependent choices. To identify the determinants of retirement decisions by couples and the effects of spousal retirement, this research estimates bivariate probit models in a multi-country setting. The results show a significant joint retirement trend: Both men and women are more likely to retire if their spouse already has retired. Strong asymmetric behaviors arise by gender though, with high crosscountry heterogeneity, reflecting institutional differences in both pension and public health systems.