Workers' willingness to delay retirement in exchange for temporary paid leaves A case study in a Spanish town

Abstract

Purpose. A research is presented which explores the factors influencing the willingness to benefit from Temporary Leave (TL), a life-course policy consisting of the entitlement to temporary paid leaves from work in exchange for delayed retirement. Design/Methodology/Approach. Such factors are probed by means of a multivariate analysis (binary logistic regression) of the results of a survey conducted amongst the occupied workforce of a Spanish town. The analysis is framed in an age-gender perspective. Findings. The noteworthy favourable predisposition towards TL emerging from the survey, mainly for the purposes of caring for children and parents, studying and preparing for a new job, appears mostly influenced by the level of studies and by the fact of having or not children, without clear sex variations. Research limitations, practical and social implications, and originality/value. Notwithstanding the local scope of the survey, its results might orientate future research on TL, an emerging policy issue crosscutting several widely recognised social-policy targets within the European Union, such as the extension of working life, lifelong learning and gender equality throughout the life course.