Page 21 - IDEA Study 3 2015 Duchodova studie

CHAPTER 2: EFFECTS OF EDUCATION AND OCCUPATION ON RETIREMENT In this chapter, we analyse the associations between education, occupation and retirement decisions in the Czech Republic and compare these with patterns from other countries. All indicators are based on individual level data from the SHARE survey, collected between 2007 and 2013. Education One of the most relevant socio-economic determinants of health and retirement behaviour is educational attainment. It is arguably the best approximation of lifetime income and the only measure of socio-economic status that does not change over the life cycle. It has been shown (at least in the USA) that this is the measure of socio- economic status that really matters for mortality and other health outcomes. It is arguably a good proxy of socioeconomic status, being the most widely available and with the lowest measurement error. With respect to the diverse history of educational systems across European countries, the respondents' highest attained level of education was classified according to the international classification ISCED 97. Table 2.1 shows the levels of education recorded in three basic categories: lower (up to ISCED 2 level), middle (ISCED 3 and 4) and higher education (college/university degree). TABLE 2.1 ISCED 97 Classification: the Czech Education System Level Level of education Czech education system Study 0 Pre-primary education, No education Nursery schools Lower 1 Primary education Basic school (first stage) Lower 2 Lower secondary education Basic school (second stage), Lower grades of gymnasium, Lower grades of conservatory, Special basic school Lower 3 Upper secondary education Gymnasium, Secondary technical school, Secondary vocational school*, Conservatory Middle 4 Post-secondary education (non-tertiary) Follow-up courses, Shortened souses with apprenticeship certificate or school-leaving exam Middle 5 First level of tertiary education Higher education institution (Bachelor or Master degree), Tertiary professional school Higher 6 Second level of tertiary education Doctoral study programs Higher Source: Eurydice.org 2010. Notes: *Secondary vocational school is counted as Lower education. Educational structure and its pattern relative to age are important factors in ageing and retirement decisions. The following graphs, 2.1-2.3, show the distribution of educational attainment among men and women of different ages. About 40% of men above 50 years of age in the Czech population have lower level education, and the equivalent number is similar for women. Almost half of the Czech respondents (both men and women) achieved middle level education, and around 18% of the sample has higher level education (somewhat less among women). In Nordic and Western 19