Early Retirement in the Day-Care Sector: The Role of Working Conditions and Health

TY - JOUR

T1 - Early Retirement in the Day-Care Sector

T2 - The Role of Working Conditions and Health

AU - Gørtz, Mette

PY - 2012/9

Y1 - 2012/9

N2 - This article studies the role of working conditions and health for elderly female day-care teachers' decision to enter early retirement. Entry into retirement is analysed in a duration framework that allows for unobserved heterogeneity in the baseline hazard. Data are from a Danish longitudinal data set based on administrative register records for 1997-2006. Working conditions are measured by four indicators. First, work pressure is measured by the child-to-teacher ratio, which varies across municipalities and over time. Second, working conditions are measured by the proportion of children with a problematic social background. Third, the share of trained teachers is considered an indicator of working conditions. And fourth, the size of the institution is assessed as an indicator of working conditions. Regressions in a duration model framework show that there is no significant relationship between the child-to-teacher ratio or the size of the institution and early retirement. However, working conditions measured by the social background of the children and the share of trained day-care teachers have a significant effect on the probability of early retirement. Finally, a poor health condition is associated with a higher propensity to enter early retirement.

AB - This article studies the role of working conditions and health for elderly female day-care teachers' decision to enter early retirement. Entry into retirement is analysed in a duration framework that allows for unobserved heterogeneity in the baseline hazard. Data are from a Danish longitudinal data set based on administrative register records for 1997-2006. Working conditions are measured by four indicators. First, work pressure is measured by the child-to-teacher ratio, which varies across municipalities and over time. Second, working conditions are measured by the proportion of children with a problematic social background. Third, the share of trained teachers is considered an indicator of working conditions. And fourth, the size of the institution is assessed as an indicator of working conditions. Regressions in a duration model framework show that there is no significant relationship between the child-to-teacher ratio or the size of the institution and early retirement. However, working conditions measured by the social background of the children and the share of trained day-care teachers have a significant effect on the probability of early retirement. Finally, a poor health condition is associated with a higher propensity to enter early retirement.

KW - Faculty of Social Sciences

KW - Retirement

KW - Working conditions

KW - Health

KW - Day-care teachers

U2 - 10.1007/s10433-011-0214-4

DO - 10.1007/s10433-011-0214-4

M3 - Journal article

SN - 1613-9372

VL - 9

SP - 187

EP - 198

JO - European Journal of Ageing

JF - European Journal of Ageing

IS - 3

ER -