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Male Retirement Behavior in the United States, 1930–1950

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 March 2009

Donald O. Parsons
Donald O. Parsons
Affiliation:
Professor of Economics, the Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210.
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Abstract

Explanations for the recent decline in the labor force attachment of males 65 years of age and older include the introduction of Old Age and Survivors Insurance and the growth in private pension programs. Neither hypothesis can explain the sizable decline that occurred between 1930 and 1950, when aggregate social security and private pension payments were small. Estimates from pooled state aggregate data indicate that the means-tested Old Age Assistance program established by the Social Security Act of 1935 significantly increased retirement activity in this period, particularly among low-income individuals.

Type
Articles
Information
The Journal of Economic History , Volume 51 , Issue 3 , September 1991 , pp. 657 - 674
Copyright
Copyright © The Economic History Association 1991

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