Did the Elimination of Mandatory Retirement Affect Faculty Retirement?

American Economic Review · 2002 · Volume 92 · Issue 4

Abstract

A special exemption from the 1986 Age Discrimination Act allowed colleges and universities to enforce mandatory retirement of faculty at age 70 until 1994. We construct a survey that permits us to compare faculty turnover rates before and after the law changed at a large sample of institutions with defined contribution pension plans. After the elimination of compulsory retirement the retirement rates of 70- and 71-year-olds fell by two-thirds and were comparable to rates of 69-year-olds. These findings indicate that U.S. colleges and universities will experience a rise in the number of older faculty over the coming years. (JEL J26, I21)

Keywords

Retirement, Retirement Policies, Education: Other, Economics of the Elderly, Economics of the Handicapped, Non-labor Market Discrimination, Professional Labor Markets, Occupational Licensing

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