Informal Employment Trajectories as A Social Determinant of Mental Limitations in Older Age in Uruguay: A Gender-Sensitive Analysis.

Abstract

This study examines the association between informal employment trajectories and the presence of mental limitations in old age in Uruguay. Using retrospective data from a nationally representative survey, informal employment trajectories for individuals aged 60 and older were reconstructed. Mental limitations were measured through two functional indicators: difficulties in learning and applying knowledge, and limitations in social relationships. Logistic regression models (odds ratios) were estimated separately by sex, adjusting for age, education, chronic disease, income, and labor force participation. Among men, higher cumulative exposure to informal employment was consistently associated with greater odds of both types of mental limitations. Among women, exposure to informal employment was associated with a significantly lower likelihood of mental limitations. However, this does not imply that informality is less harmful for women; rather, it reflects the fact that formality is not as protective for women as it is for men, due to the enduring patterns of vertical and horizontal gender occupational segregation. The results highlight the importance of recognizing informal employment as a social determinant of mental limitation in old age, particularly in high-income countries of the Global South with persistent employment and welfare inequalities, like Uruguay.