The Ripple Effect: Childbearing histories and retirement timing in six Central and Eastern European countries

In Western societies, childbearing histories are significant determinants of women's and men’s labour force participation, including retirement timing. Earlier life experiences related to childbearing and the associated penalties or premiums often contribute to socioeconomic inequalities that persist into retirement. However, there is limited empirical knowledge of how childbearing history shapes retirement timing, particularly in Central and Eastern European countries (CEECs). This study examines the associations between childbearing histories and retirement timing among women and men in six CEECs with a focus on the age of the parent at first birth, parity, the age of the youngest child, and birth spacing. Using data from the Survey of Health and Retirement in Europe, we track individuals born 1940-1950 across their childbearing years to their retirement transition (1990-2020). The results of a discrete-time event history analysis show that parents retire earlier than their childless counterparts do. Among parents, individuals with young children retire later in all CEECs. Women in the Czech Republic, Poland, and Hungary who have 3+ children retire later than women with one child do. Additionally, longer birth spacing is associated with later retirement among women in the Czech Republic and Estonia. We conclude that childbearing histories have a modest association with retirement timing in the six CEECs for the study sample. Nevertheless, the political, economic, and demographic changes that have occurred in the region suggest that childbearing histories may shape retirement timing differently and perhaps more strongly among the coming generations of older adults.