Employment Retention and Re-Entry Among Older Women: Do Health and Caring Roles Matter?

Abstract

This paper analyses the probabilities of employment retention and re-entry by older workers, focusing on older women whose representation in the workforce is growing as the population ages but whose employment outcomes have been under-researched compared to older men. We find that older women are less likely than older men to retain employment or re-enter employment. Our regression results show that if health worsens or care hours increase, an older woman’s chance of retaining employment falls. However, improvements in health and/or reductions in care roles do not increase the chances of an unwaged woman returning to work.