Working for longer means women can maintain cognitive functioning and prevent the onset of physical disability, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS). The government has committed itself to increasing the state pension age, from 66 to 67, starting in April next year.
Research by the IFS, published in the scientific journal Labour Economics, looked at the impact of extending the working lives of women; before 2010, all women had a state pension age of 60, between 2010 and 2018, the female state pension age gradually increased until it reached age 65.
The IFS found women who remained in work for longer saw ‘improved cognition and less physical disability’ and it also found the benefits of work for cognition were much stronger for single women than for those with a partner.
Jobs that involved some amount of movement were beneficial in preventing physical disability, yet working longer in sedentary jobs worsened physical disability.
IFS associate director and research author, David Sturrock, told Pensions Age more thought needed to be given to the effect that later retirement could have on people’s health.
“Our research shows that paid work can help to maintain cognitive functioning and physical mobility. This is particularly true for single women and those whose jobs involve some amount of movement.
“However, not all work is beneficial, with sedentary jobs actively harming physical mobility,” he continued.
‘Whether longer working is good for health also depends on what people will do once they retire – if the government wants to promote health at older ages, then encouraging social interaction and physical exercise among retirees would also be beneficial.”
Key findings of IFS report:
- Improved cognitive functioning of women in their early 60s, on average. The positive effects were seen across those undertaking different types of work (from managerial to routine work) and were driven primarily by improvements in cognitive functioning for single women. This suggests that it is those who live alone, who are more likely to see a drop in social interactions upon retirement, who gained the most from the stimulation of work, and that these benefits are not confined to jobs typically seen as cognitively demanding.
- For women in their early 60s, being in paid work helps prevent the onset of physical disability, on average. Physical disability was measured through a number of questions reporting ability or inability to do certain daily tasks and through performance in a walking speed test. However, for the quarter of women working in sedentary jobs that did not involve a lot of movement, working worsened physical disability.