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Unpaid caregiving and paid work over life-courses: Different pathways, diverging outcomes

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  • Carmichael, Fiona
  • Ercolani, Marco G.

Abstract

We investigate the extent to which people's earlier circumstances and experiences shape subsequent life-courses. We do this using UK longitudinal data to provide a dynamic analysis of employment and caregiving histories for 4339 people over 15–20 years between 1991 and 2010. We analyse these histories as sequences using optimal matching and cluster analysis to identify five distinct employment-caregiving pathways. Regression analysis shows that prior to embarking on these pathways, people are already differentiated by life-stage, gender and attitudes towards family and gender roles. Difference-in-differences estimation shows that some initial differences in income, subjective health and wellbeing widen over time, while others narrow. In particular, those following the most caregiving-intensive pathways not only end up poorer but also experience a relative decline in subjective health and wellbeing. These results confirm that earlier circumstances exert a strong influence on later life-courses consistent with pre-determination, persistence and path dependence.

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  • Carmichael, Fiona & Ercolani, Marco G., 2016. "Unpaid caregiving and paid work over life-courses: Different pathways, diverging outcomes," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 156(C), pages 1-11.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:156:y:2016:i:c:p:1-11
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2016.03.020
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    3. Ludovico Carrino & Vahé Nafilyan & Mauricio Avendano, 2023. "Should I Care or Should I Work? The Impact of Work on Informal Care," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 42(2), pages 424-455, March.
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    6. Aviad Tur-Sinai & Dafna Halperin & Nissim Ben David & Ariela Lowenstein & Ruth Katz, 2022. "Cessation of Care for Frail Older Adults: Physical, Psychological and Economic Outcomes for Family Carers," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(6), pages 1-17, March.
    7. Zueras, Pilar & Grundy, Emily, 2024. "Assessing the impact of caregiving for older parents on caregivers' health: Initial health status and trajectories of physical and mental health among midlife caregivers for parents and parents-in-law," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 342(C).
    8. Carrino, L.; & Nafilyan, V.; & Avendaño Pabon, M.;, 2019. "Should I Care or Should I Work? The Impact of Working in Older Age on Caregiving," Health, Econometrics and Data Group (HEDG) Working Papers 19/23, HEDG, c/o Department of Economics, University of York.
    9. Simard-Duplain, Gaëlle, 2022. "Heterogeneity in informal care intensity and its impact on employment," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 86(C).
    10. Drishti, Elvisa & Carmichael, Fiona, 2022. "Dead-end jobs or steppingstones? Precarious work in Albania," GLO Discussion Paper Series 1011, Global Labor Organization (GLO).

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