Retirement

Retirement as a social institution emerged in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in the countries of the global North, subsequently emerging in other regions of the world and increasing in importance during the second half of the 20th century. In the 21st century, there have been a number of significant changes in state pension policies, including policy makers and political institutions raising the state pension age (SPA) (Phillipson 2020). This chapter provides a review of pension and retirement policies, retirement as a life-course stage, and retirement as a social status. It also highlights inequalities amongst retired people in the global North and South, focusing as well on the economic and social interactions between retirement, ageing and migration. Finally, the chapter provides recommendations for future research agendas on retirement and migration.