Retirement has traditionally been viewed as a process that involves an abrupt change from working continuously in a full-time job to leaving the labour force completely and remaining permanently retired. Today the pathways to retirement are believed to be much more diverse, with many more people expected make a gradual transition into retirement. These transition...

Over the past decade, changes to Australia’s retirement income policy have been announced in almost every Federal Budget, with no signs yet that reform is coming to an end. Indeed, the Simpler Super reforms announced in the 2006 Federal Budget have been described as the largest overhaul of Australia’s superannuation system since the introduction of...

This paper uses the 2002 Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) wealth module data to examine levels of wealth and debt in Australia among different age groups. This paper analyses the 2002 Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) wealth module data to derive the following information: the structure and composition of...

For men the Australian retirement system provides incentives to retire early, while for women financial incentives are less significant, as the factors that influence women’s retirement behaviour are more commonly found to be family related, rather than financial incentives. In Australia, labour force participation among older people, particularly men over the age of 55, has...

This report by Diana Warren compares key characteristics of retirement for men and women including reasons for retiring, transitions to retirement, life satisfaction, the effect of the presence of a spouse or partner and financial security. The report presents new findings about differences in life in retirement for single and partnered women, as well as...