The gendered and liberal retirement regime in Switzerland

Abstract

Considering both the retirement income crunch and the dramatic increase in life expectancy, promoting active aging policies appears to be an attractive option worldwide. In this current frame, Switzerland corresponds to a country with institutional incentives not only for an active aging life but also for early retirement. Moreover, Switzerland has a strong gendered labor-retirement regime and also a pension system marked by liberal orientations, which have introduced great social inequalities in the retirement transition. The current chapter aims to discuss the retirement scenario in Switzerland in light of the international pension issues. To this end, four specific aspects of the Swiss retirement context are problematized: the gendered labor-retirement regime; the liberal orientation of the pension institution; the dispute between early and late retirement; and the individuals benefited from-or penalized by-the pension system. The chapter concludes by suggesting prospective research ideas to empirically grasp the retirement transition in Switzerland.