Spouses' Retirement and Hours of Work Outcomes : Evidence from Twofold Regression Discontinuity

Earlier studies conclude that spouses time their retirement closely together. Here, we exploit early retirement age legislation to identify the effect of own and spousal retirement on spouses' hours of work. The sample for the analysis includes over 85000 French couples. We conclude that hours of work fall significantly upon own and partner's retirement, for both spouses. The own effect is dramatically large and equal to a drop in hours worked of 65 to 77 per cent while the cross effects are small, suggesting an average reduction of one or two hours per week upon spousal retirement.