C Lawton

Gender Differences in Paid and Unpaid Work

Wheatley, Lawton and Hardill evidence the gendered nature of patterns of paid and unpaid work in advanced societies from a life-course perspective, using data from the UK. Despite a whole raft of social legislation, labour market participation remains highly gendered. Patterns of paid work have become increasingly diverse and flexible with a growth in precarious and gig work, especially among younger and older adults. While overall participation in paid work may be converging among men and women, most men still engage in full-time employment (or self-employment) for the majority of the life course, while over 40% of women report part-time work. The need to undertake unpaid work, including housework, childcare (parenting and grandparenting) and ill/elderly care, remains a particular constraint to women’s participation in paid work.

The Quality of Work Among Older Workers

Lawton and Wheatley contribute to understanding of patterns of work among older adults and, in particular, the quality of work they encounter. Older adults face increasing uncertainty in their economic and social lives due to changes in economic and welfare policies, while at the same time governments are promoting the benefits of extended working lives. This chapter explores the patterns of employment and reports on the variable quality of work among older adults , using UK data from the Annual Population Survey, Labour Force Survey and Understanding Society. Two-step cluster analysis and multinomial logistic regression suggest that working into later life predominantly reflects choice. However, the quality of work varies considerably and an important minority of older adults are constrained into working in low-quality jobs.