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Pathways of participation in paid and unpaid work in mid to later life in the United Kingdom.

Authors :
Sacco, Lawrence B.
Corna, Laurie M.
Price, Debora
Glaser, Karen
Source :
Ageing & Society. Sep2023, Vol. 43 Issue 9, p2067-2094. 28p.
Publication Year :
2023

Abstract

Policy responses to population ageing have focused on lengthening working lives, overlooking inequalities in older adults' participation in unpaid activities. This paper examines participation in paid and unpaid activities between the ages of 55 and 70 to answer two questions: how do people navigate pathways of paid work, informal care, volunteering, civic participation and housework in mid to later life?; and how do these pathways relate to gender, socio-economic and health inequalities? Two-staged latent class analysis was used to identify activity pathways using data from the British Household Panel Survey (1996–2008). Multinomial logistic models assessed associations between latent pathways and socio-demographic and health characteristics. Three pathways were observed: full-time work to low activity (49%), part-time and in-home work (34%) and multiple activities (16%). Aside from retirement from full-time work, the pathways of participation in paid and unpaid activities were characterised by continuity; substitution between different forms of paid and unpaid work was not observed. Participation in multiple paid and unpaid activities was more common for respondents in better health and of higher socio-economic status. Since the promotion of paid work and volunteering in later life may mainly benefit individuals in advantaged circumstances, policies should avoid taking a blanket approach to encouraging participation in multiple activities, a key component of active ageing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
0144686X
Volume :
43
Issue :
9
Database :
Academic Search Index
Journal :
Ageing & Society
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
169878832
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1017/S0144686X21001537