Retirement Transition and Depression in China: A Gendered Life Course Perspective

• In Event: Implications of Critical Events/Periods Across the Life Course

Abstract

As China faces rapid population aging, understanding the relationship between retirement and mental health is critical for public policy. Existing research offers mixed findings and often overlooks gender differences and the temporal dynamics of the retirement transition. This study investigates the impact of retirement on depression from a gendered life course perspective using four waves of longitudinal data (2011–2018) from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS).
Employing fixed-effects regression models to control for unobserved individual heterogeneity and resolve endogeneity, the study analyzes a sample of 4,825 respondents. The analysis focuses on two primary dimensions: gender heterogeneity in retirement's impact and the distinction between short-, medium-, and long-term effects.
The results reveal significant gender differences. Retirement transition significantly increases depressive symptoms (measured by CES-D scores) for male retirees but has no statistically significant effect on females. These findings align with role theory, suggesting that Chinese men—who often derive their identity and social status from professional roles—experience greater "role loss" than women, who may maintain better psychological continuity through diverse domestic and social roles. Furthermore, the life course analysis uncovers a phased pattern for men: the negative impact on mental health is negligible in the short term (one year or less), becomes significant in the medium term (two to three years), and becomes insignificant again in the long term (four years or more) as individuals adapt to their new life patterns. For women, the effect remains insignificant across all temporal stages. This research demonstrates that the retirement-depression link is a dynamic, gendered process rather than a static event. The findings underscore the necessity for gender-specific interventions and policies in China. Specifically, support systems should target male retirees during the medium-term transition phase to mitigate depression risks and promote healthy aging.

Authors

• Niantao Jiang, The Chinese University of Hong Kong

• Yuying Tong, The Chinese University of Hong Kong