Antecedents of retirement decisions in the Pakistan public school sector

Abstract

This study examines retirement decision-making among public school teachers in Sindh, Pakistan, where a large, diverse teaching workforce and ongoing pension reform debates make institutional uncertainty and collectivist norms unusually salient. Drawing on a cross-sectional survey of 316 teachers and the theory of planned behavior (TPB)—with construct validity and reliability supported by confirmatory factor analysis and McDonald’s ω—a hierarchical TPB regression explains approximately 57% of the variance in retirement decision orientation. Subjective norms (organizational commitment and perceived social expectations) contribute the largest incremental block; attitudinal and financial control factors add less once norms are accounted for. A mediation analysis indicates that perceived financial control predicts retirement planning, which in turn predicts stronger retirement intent. Teachers’ retirement decisions thus appear embedded in organizational attachment and social context rather than driven by individual financial calculation, a pattern we attribute to cultural collectivism and institutional loyalty in Sindh’s public sector. Descriptive subgroup comparisons by gender, age cohort, and rank are consistent with this pattern. Policy implications identify school networks and teacher associations as low-cost leverage points for retirement counseling, clearer pension communication, and targeted financial literacy programs.