Labor Force Dynamics of Older Married Couples

This article analyzes the dynamics of joint labor force behavior of older couples in the United States. Using the Retirement History Survey (RHS) I analyze the determinants of joint retirement and the effect of one spouse's labor force status on the labor force transitions of the other spouse....

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of labor economics 1998-07, Vol.16 (3), p.595-629
Main Author: Blau, David M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Age
Husbands
Labor force surveys
Labour force
Marital status
Pension plans
Retirement
Social Security benefits
Spouses
Transition probabilities
U.S.A
Wives
Workforce
Citations: Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:This article analyzes the dynamics of joint labor force behavior of older couples in the United States. Using the Retirement History Survey (RHS) I analyze the determinants of joint retirement and the effect of one spouse's labor force status on the labor force transitions of the other spouse. The results reveal strong associations between the labor force transition probabilities of one spouse and the labor force status of the other spouse. These result from structural differences in exit and entry behavior by the spouse's status. Several lagged endogenous variables have substantial effects on behavior even after controlling for unobserved heterogeneity.
ISSN:0734-306X
1537-5307
DOI:10.1086/209900