Table 3

Predicted reasons for retirement among dentists and average intended age of retirement (in NSW, Australia)

% of dentists of each sex/work type (expected age of retirement)^a

General dentists

Specialists

All dentists

Reason for retirement

Male

N = 95

Female

N = 14

Total

N = 25

Male

N = 124

Female

N = 18

Total

N = 146

I can afford to

53 (65.0)

50 (58.9)

52 (63.9)

51 (64.8)

50 (59.1)

49 (64.0)

Superannuation rules making retirement financially advantageous

19 (65.0)

21 (62.3)

12 (61.7)

17 (64.5)

22 (63.0)

17 (64.3)

Becoming eligible for the old age pension

1 (69.0)

7 (76.0)

0

1 (69.0)

6 (76.0)

1 (72.5)

Spouse retiring

1 (58.0)

7 (58.0)

0

1 (58.0)

11 (58.0)

2 (58.0)

Spouse wanting me to retire

8 (63.1)

7 (75.0)

8 (62.5)

8 (63.0)

6 (75.0)

8 (64.1)

Spouse's income sufficient

0

0

0

0

0

0

To spend more time with family

17 (64.4)

29 (69.0)

12 (65.0)

16 (64.7)

22 (69.0)

16 (64.4)

To have more leisure time

52 (64.9)

57 (65.4)

52 (63.1)

52 (64.6)

61 (64.8)

51 (64.7)

Lack of interesting work/boredom

6 (63.2)

0

0

5 (63.2)

0

4 (63.2)

Job stress/pressure

25 (63.5)

36 (62.4)

4 (60.0)

22 (63.8)

39 (61.7)

23 (63.4)

Accepting voluntary redundancy

1 (68.0)

0

0

1 (68.0)

0

1 (68.0)

Own ill health

8 (70.0)

29 (68.0)

4 (65.0)

8 (69.4)

28 (67.4)

10 (68.6)

Ill health of family member

0

14 (70.0)

0

0

11 (70.0)

1 (70.0)

^aNote: there were three work types recorded in the survey (general dentists, specialists and other dentists). Only the disaggregated results for general dentists and specialists are presented here, along with those for all dentists. All specialists responding to the survey were male.

Schofield et al. Human Resources for Health 2010 8:9   doi:10.1186/1478-4491-8-9