The idea of a long and stable career rewarded by retirement is a fixture of the American social ethos and political economy. The paradox is that many Americans' careers do not fit this image. Here, we examined how the structure of the career, as compared to only those circumstances proximate to retirement, is important for understanding career endings. Based on labor force histories drawn from the National Longitudinal Survey of Older Men, we observed that the occupational roles held through the mid and late career combine additively to influence retirement and disability experiences, with different conditions of work coming into play depending on the career stage. Occupational roles in the mid career also have long-term, indirect effects, operating through the onset of health problems and the adequacy of pension benefits. Although retirement and disability are not hinged to occupational mobility per se, these career endings are sensitive to major discontinuities in the career and work role in terms of unemployment and labor force mobility.

No abstract

Trends in age at marriage have been well documented, but less is known about age at first union among recent cohorts of Canadians. Using the 2011 GSS, I document changes in the type and timing of first union formation among Canadians born over five decades, and examine how regional differences in partnering behaviours have changed over time. The trend away from entering marriage directly has continued among Canadians born in the 1970s, but Québec-Canada differences have narrowed. The trend towards later marriage has continued, but age at first union has not changed across the five cohorts under study.

A multistate life table model is used to identify how labor force experiences and mortality determine the labor force participation rates (LFPRs) and the qualities of the retirement life cycle of Black and White older men. LFPRs and the life cycle measures are compared to assess inequities of retirement access for the racial groups. The results show that Blacks' lower LFPRs are a function of disability. Despite lower LFPRs than Whites, however, Blacks spend a greater portion of their lives both working and disabled, reducing the retirement period. Race differences in the retirement life cycle also are highly sensitive to mortality. Reducing Black mortality to that of Whites would substantially narrow the life cycle differences. The combination of higher disability and mortality rates among Blacks suggests that health is a key determinant of retirement inequity.