Family, Work, and the Retirement Process: A Review and New Directions

Changes in the demographic characteristics of the older workforce amid an increasingly complex retirement landscape underscore the need to examine the role of family in relation to the retirement process. Family is an important part of life, and for many it represents the most salient role in life. The decision regarding whether and when to retire is often not an individual decision, but rather one that unfolds within a larger family context. This chapter reviews prior research on the relationship between family-related factors (e.g., marital status, spousal work status, spousal influence and social support, and family caregiving responsibilities) and retirement. The authors also review relevant prior research on the intersection of work and family domains in relation to retirement behavior. Moreover, the authors give an overview of research covering family-related factors and the transition and adjustment to retirement. The authors follow this with a summary as well as recommendations for future directions of research examining family factors related to retirement research.