The effect of retirement on the time use of retirees

Abstract

In this paper we estimate the effect of retirement on the time use of individuals. Retirement makes available a large amount of time that was previously devoted to work. In particular, this will affect the time devoted to leisure, housework, eating and sleeping. The statistical framework adopted in this study is regression in discontinuity. We use the jump in the probability of retirement at age sixty, the minimum legal retirement age in France, to measure the impact of retirement on the time use of retirees. Retirement means more time spent on household chores, sleep, leisure and meals. The magnitude of the effects may vary between men and women. The amount of time devoted to domestic tasks increases more for retired men than for retired women. However, this increase is not sufficient to close the gender gap in unpaid work.