Gender differences in exposure to life events and adaptation to retirement

Gender differences in the experience of life events surrounding the retirement transition and the effects of such life event experiences on men's and women's adaptation to retirement were investigated. Data based on a stratified random sample of retirees covered by Florida's State Retirement System (n = 452 women and 378 men) indicate that women report more life events than men, particularly during the period preceding retirement. Furthermore, women's retirement adaptation seems more affected than men's by the experience of life events. The major conclusion to be drawn from these results is that better understanding of gender differences in the retirement experience can be achieved only if gender variations in the circumstances of the retirement transition are acknowledged and further explored.