Ageing of Polish society has become a fact. The increased percentage of elderly people in the nation's population will have a negative effect on the national insurance system as well as national public finance. Therefore it is necessary to gradually reform the existing pension scheme, namely to rise the retirement age and to bring women in line with men.

It is widely known that early deactivation of the Poles became a serious issue. However the reason of the early withdrawal from the labour market is still unclear. It is also problematic what to do in order to keep them active longer.

In my article I would like to show that one of the reasons why the Polish choose to retire is their notion of the pension system. According to the research I conducted it appears that the Poles do not know the regulations of the pension scheme and do not quite comprehend the principles of calculation of their pension. The whole system seems to them as unclear and incomprehensible, what is more, unsecure and constantly changed and reformed. As a result while making the decision whether to stay active or retire they are in a state of incertitude. Therefore they choose the secure strategy that minimises the fear and the risk of making mistake and just go for secure, nonetheless usually low pension instead of staying active (in labour market).