Transition to Retirement Impact on Caregiving, Grandparenting, and Volunteering: Analysis From a Nationwide Italian Cohort

Background Retirement often increases time availability, promoting unpaid activities. Reforms delaying retirement may unintentionally reduce such contributions, with social and public health implications. This study examines how the retirement transition affects unpaid caregiving, grandparenting, and volunteering, with attention to sex differences. Methods We used 5-year panel data from the Italian Survey on Participation, Employment and Unemployment, focusing on individuals aged 55-65, employed at baseline. Adjusted logistic regression and propensity score matching were applied. Analyses included 4180 participants for caregiving, 658 for grandparenting, and 1026 for volunteering. Results Retirement was associated with increased grandparenting (OR = 2.08, 95% CI: 1.40-3.10) and volunteering (OR = 2.87, 95% CI: 1.75-4.70). No association was found with caregiving for people with disabilities. No significant sex differences emerged. Robustness checks supported the main findings. Conclusion Retirement is associated to greater involvement in grandparenting and volunteering. Policymakers should consider the potential social and health costs of reduced unpaid care when designing pension reforms.