Dissertation_Paula Aleksandrowicz_12 ... - Jacobs University

Institutional changes have also had an impact upon retirement transitions in qualitative
terms. Whenever rules of entry to a certain old-age pension have been modified, evasive
reactions to other pension types or to the disability pathway could be noticed. This process
can be read off form the gender-specific retirement and early exit pathways following the
most favourable rulings. While the inflow of men spread among various types of pensions,
women most often took up the old-age pension for women and the standard old-age pension.
Also the individual retirement preferences of workers react to institutional changes. The
introduction of the pre-retirement scheme, the flexible retirement age and the early
retirement scheme has created an early retirement culture and altered the previously
negative reputation of early exit (Kohli et al. 1988: 2-3). A reversal of the attitude is much
harder to accomplish, but two waves of the Ageing Survey and of the Eurobarometer have
recorded an adaptation of the expected or planned retirement age to changed rules.
A qualification of the above arguments is the fact that the rising employment rates of
older workers are partly due to the emancipation of women and to the expansion of irregular
and uncovered forms of employment. Also, retirement at 65 is still seldom, and a large
amount of retirees rather come to terms with pension deductions instead of postponing
retirement. The growing polarisation among new retirees reflects their different labour
market chances and health status (Bäcker 2006: 8ff; Knuth et al. 2006: 309; Henke 2000:
204-5, 209). The unemployment pathway and the exit via pre-retirement/early retirement
scheme on the basis of redundancy payments schemes implies a less voluntary decision than
is the case when following pull incentives (Wurm et al. 2007: 81) – and thus, a lesser
receptiveness to institutional changes.
Moreover, the trend of falling retirement ages and employment rates has been halted, but
a complete trend reversal – i.e., a return to the situation before the introduction of the
flexible retirement age – has not come about.
Yet, despite those qualifications, hypothesis 4 (see section 2.3.) is herewith supported in
the case of Germany. The impact of institutional changes upon retirement preferences of
Germans and upon their actual exit patterns can be clearly read off from the aggregate,
statistical level.
3.2.4. Politics of Social Partners
The social partners at branch level – trade unions and employers´ associations – are
mediators between legislative regulations and their implementation at firm level. Works
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