ABSTRACT
Women’s retirement has been the subject of considerable research attention. With the important exception of studies such as those by A. M. O’Rand and J. C. Henretta however, most of the research to date does not place the topic explicitly within a broad socio-political context. While Graebmer, J. Myles, and others have played an important role in placing retirement in a broad socio-historical and socio-political context, such a perspective is virtually absent from most retirement research. While women’s retirement has been the focus of increasing research attention, studies for the most part have failed to place the topic within a broad socio-political context. As such, they have tended to ignore such factors as the dual labor market and the sexual division of labor which may heavily influence women’s retirement decisions and adaptation. A broader political economic analysis of women’s retirement reveals that the disadvantaged economic status of many female retirees may play an important role in determining retirement adaptation patterns.
