In order to capture the rapidly changing reality of older workers, it is important to study
retirement not as a one-off transition, but rather as a series of diverse pathways that unfold
during the period before and after reaching the full retirement age. The retirement transi-
tions of men and women have been shown to vary widely according to individual
characteristics such as health, education and marital status, but also according to
macro-institutional factors, such as welfare regimes and gender norms. While there is a
consensus about the combined influence of institutional and individual factors in shaping
retirement transitions, previous research has rarely included both levels of analysis. This
study aims to close this research gap. Using a pooled-country dataset from three panel sur-
veys, covering 11 nations, we examine the retirement pathways of 1,594 women and 1,105
men during a 12-year period (2004–2016) around the country- and gender-specific full
pension age. Results show that retirement pathways diverge considerably across countries
and lifecourse regimes. The distribution of men and women between the different path-
ways is also variable, both within and across societal contexts. More importantly, the influ-
ence of individual-level characteristics, such as education, on the gendering of retirement
pathways is not identical across societal contexts. These findings provide useful insights
into the gender-differentiated implications of policies aimed at extending working lives.