Band 8+: You should spend about 20 minutes on this task. The graph below shows the average retirement age of males and females in six countries in 2003. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words.

The table gives information about the average age of men and women from six different countries who retired in 2003.

Overall, on average, men stayed in the workforce longer than their female counterparts in all given countries. Additionally, Korea had the highest average retirement age for both sexes, whereas the opposite was true in the case of France.

In 2003, Korean men typically retired at 68 years and 8 months, closely followed by Japanese and Italian men, both of whom did so at the average age of 67 years and 4 months. The United States saw men retiring at an average age of 65 years and 6 months, while Australian men became retirees slightly earlier at 64 years and 1 month. The earliest average retirement age for men was in France, where they retired at 57 years and 4 months.

In terms of women, those from Korea generally entered retirement at the average age of 67 years and 2 months old, the oldest among all countries listed. Notably, there was no difference in the figures for both Japanese and Italian workers, who typically exited the workforce at 66 years and 9 months. American women tended to stop working at an average age of 64 years and 2 months, with Australian women retiring slightly sooner at 63 years and 5 months. French women had the earliest retirement, stepping away from their careers at at an average age of 56 years and 9 months.