Which Brubaker retirement pattern describes a scenario where one partner retires earlier and the other follows later?

• A. Single or traditional.
• B. Dissynchronized-wife initially.
• C. Synchronized.
• D. Disengagement.

Answer: (B)

Dissynchronized retirement describes when one partner retires before the other, rather than both stopping work at the same time. If the pattern is specifically that the wife retires first and the husband follows later, it’s the dissynchronized-wife initially form. This captures the staggered timing between partners and explains how daily routines, finances, and social activities can shift as each person transitions at a different pace.

Synchronized retirement would have both partners leaving work together, which isn’t the situation here. Disengagement focuses on gradually withdrawing from roles and activities, not the sequencing of retirement between spouses. And single or traditional patterns describe broader household structures rather than the specific timing of retirement between partners.