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The Gendered and Liberal Retirement Regime in Switzerland

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Delaying Retirement

Abstract

Considering both the retirement income crunch and the dramatic increase in life expectancy, promoting active aging policies appears to be an attractive option worldwide. In this current frame, Switzerland corresponds to a country with institutional incentives not only for an active aging life but also for early retirement. Moreover, Switzerland has a strong gendered labor–retirement regime and also a pension system marked by liberal orientations, which have introduced great social inequalities in the retirement transition. The current chapter aims to discuss the retirement scenario in Switzerland in light of the international pension issues. To this end, four specific aspects of the Swiss retirement context are problematized: the gendered labor–retirement regime; the liberal orientation of the pension institution; the dispute between early and late retirement; and the individuals benefited from—or penalized by—the pension system. The chapter concludes by suggesting prospective research ideas to empirically grasp the retirement transition in Switzerland.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    This research was supported by the FONDECYT Postdoctoral Project N°3160522.

  2. 2.

    Chapter 2 gives an overview of average life expectancy in the 13 countries discussed in this book.

  3. 3.

    Although it is mandatory for every active and nonactive individual to contribute to the AVS pension fund, there are some cases in which people are unable to contribute (see OFS 2012e).

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Public Policy Institute, Universidad Diego Portales, Santiago, Chile

    Ignacio Madero-Cabib

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  1. Ignacio Madero-Cabib
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Correspondence to Ignacio Madero-Cabib .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany

    Dirk Hofäcker

  2. Institute of Gerontology at the Technical University of Dortmund, Dortmund, Germany

    Moritz Hess

  3. Department of Psychology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden

    Stefanie König

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Madero-Cabib, I. (2016). The Gendered and Liberal Retirement Regime in Switzerland. In: Hofäcker, D., Hess, M., König, S. (eds) Delaying Retirement. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-56697-3_12

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-56697-3_12

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-137-56696-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-137-56697-3

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

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