The relationship between women’s work histories and incomes in later life in the UK, US and West Germany
The relationship between women’s work histories and incomes in later life in the UK, US and West Germany
Using data from several large scale longitudinal surveys, this paper investigates the relationship between older women's personal incomes and their work histories in the UK, US and West Germany. By comparing three countries with very different welfare regimes, we seek to gain a better understanding of the interaction between the life course, pension system and women's incomes in later life. The association between older women's incomes and work histories is strongest in West Germany and weakest in the UK, where there is evidence of a pensions' poverty trap and where only predominantly full-time employment is associated with significantly higher incomes in later life, after controlling for other socio-economic characteristics. Work history matters less for widows (in all three countries) and more for younger birth cohorts and more educated women (UK only). We conclude with a brief discussion of the 'women-friendliness' of different pension regimes in the light of our analysis
comparative, older women, pensions, work history, life course
University of Southampton
Sefton, Tom
4d818b7d-72e0-402f-8229-51b68549099d
Falkingham, Jane
8df36615-1547-4a6d-ad55-aa9496e85519
Evandrou, Maria
cd2210ea-9625-44d7-b0f4-fc0721a25d28
2009
Sefton, Tom
4d818b7d-72e0-402f-8229-51b68549099d
Falkingham, Jane
8df36615-1547-4a6d-ad55-aa9496e85519
Evandrou, Maria
cd2210ea-9625-44d7-b0f4-fc0721a25d28
Sefton, Tom, Falkingham, Jane and Evandrou, Maria
(2009)
The relationship between women’s work histories and incomes in later life in the UK, US and West Germany
(Centre for Research on Ageing Discussion Paper, 706)
Southampton, UK.
University of Southampton
27pp.
Record type:
Monograph
(Discussion Paper)
Abstract
Using data from several large scale longitudinal surveys, this paper investigates the relationship between older women's personal incomes and their work histories in the UK, US and West Germany. By comparing three countries with very different welfare regimes, we seek to gain a better understanding of the interaction between the life course, pension system and women's incomes in later life. The association between older women's incomes and work histories is strongest in West Germany and weakest in the UK, where there is evidence of a pensions' poverty trap and where only predominantly full-time employment is associated with significantly higher incomes in later life, after controlling for other socio-economic characteristics. Work history matters less for widows (in all three countries) and more for younger birth cohorts and more educated women (UK only). We conclude with a brief discussion of the 'women-friendliness' of different pension regimes in the light of our analysis
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Published date: 2009
Additional Information:
Also published as London School of Economics Centre for the Analysis of Social Exclusion Discussion Paper 137
Keywords:
comparative, older women, pensions, work history, life course
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 71131
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/71131
PURE UUID: 4c6f66fa-02ad-4e5f-a03f-c49cdb1bdf88
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Date deposited: 21 Jan 2010
Last modified: 11 Dec 2021 04:06
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Author:
Tom Sefton
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