The gendered impact of the National Pension Scheme on late-life economic well-being: evidence from the Korean retirement and income study

Quality in Ageing and Older Adults,Volume 18, Issue 1, March 2017. Purpose The purpose of this research is to analyse the effect of the National Pension Scheme on the economic well-being of older people in South Korea. Design/methodology/approach It analyses older people aged 60 and over sampled from the third wave of the Korean Retirement and Income Study. Findings The analysis shows the gendered effect. The National Pension Scheme is positively associated with the economic well-being of only older men. The gendered impact is probably attributable to the inherent patriarchal structure of the National Pension Scheme that is based on the strong male bread-winner model. Originality/value Our results suggest that promoting the female labour market participation, and also reforming the gendered structure of the National Pension Scheme and South Korean labour market, can be a potential policy option to amend gendered economic well-being in later life.

Source: Quality in Ageing and Older Adults - January 24, 2017 Category: Geriatrics Source Type: research