Inequality among Older Workers in the Netherlands: A Life Course and Social Stratification Perspective on Early Retirement

Abstract

This study integrates a life course and social stratification perspective to examine early retirement in the Netherlands. Event history analysis of retrospective life course data from four rounds of the Family Survey Dutch Population reveals that employment career characteristics are strongly associated with early retirement. The results also show that educational differences in early labour force withdrawal persist when controlling for work history: lower-educated older men are more likely to exit employment before the age of 65 years, irrespective of their employment trajectories. Furthermore, working-class elderly face higher risks of disability and unemployment than members of the service class and the self-employed, because their occupational careers are more volatile and because they often work in the industrial sector for a long period of their lives. Against the background of ageing populations and policy measures to stimulate employment of older people, these findings suggest that social inequalities in old age could grow, as particularly less-educated and low-skilled older workers may not be able to prolong their employment career.