Gender and age implications of extended working life policies in the US and Ireland

Léime, Áine Ní; Street, Debra

doi:10.1177/0261018316666211

Cited by 19 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…This study demonstrates the need for sociology to consider structural factors across the life course that encourage, prevent – or compel – women to extend paid employment beyond state-pension age. To this end, there is a pressing need for the creation of ‘joined-up’ policies addressing gender inequalities across the spheres of education, employment, pensions and unpaid care (Ní Léime and Street, 2017).…”

Section: Conclusion and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, it remains the case that older women whose employment plans are ‘blown off course’ by caring commitments are at particular risk of having an inadequate later-life income (Vickerstaff, 2006: 467). Gendered employment and caring regimes interact with the pension system to women’s further disadvantage (Ginn et al, 2001; Ní Léime and Street, 2017). Low pay and disrupted work histories mean that women in the UK have, on average, lower state pension entitlements than men (Thurley et al, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Life-Course Influences on Extended Working: Experiences of Women in a UK Baby-Boom Birth Cohort

Wildman

2019

Work, Employment and Society

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Combining feminist political economy and life-course perspectives, this mixed-methods study critically examines the extent to which extended working life policies take account of women’s experiences of paid and unpaid work. I explore how decisions to extend working life are shaped by gendered social structures and norms across the life course among women in the Newcastle Thousand Families Study, a UK early baby-boom birth cohort. Among this cohort of women currently transitioning into retirement, analysis of longitudinal survey data identifies a range of mid- and later-life factors that impact on the likelihood of women working beyond state-pension age. In-depth life-course interviews identify further complex and interacting gendered life-course experiences, not captured in the survey data, which act to necessitate, encourage, enable or constrain extended working. I conclude that, if women are to extend their working lives, ‘joined-up’ policies are required, addressing gendered inequalities across the life course.

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Section: Conclusion and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Life-Course Influences on Extended Working: Experiences of Women in a UK Baby-Boom Birth Cohort

Wildman

2019

Work, Employment and Society

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“…This highlights the extreme difficulty the combination of low wages and little job security causes for savings, state pension-building or private pension contributions (Ginn, Street and Arber 2001). The trend of individualisation of pensions in both US and Irish occupational pension policy makes matters worse (Ní Léime and Street 2016). Because health-care workers are usually almost completely dependent on Social Security and Irish state pensions, some believe they will need to continue working indefinitely to ensure financial survival.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This means that 70 is the de facto age for entitlement to full Social Security benefits, rather than the ‘normal’ retirement age of 67 (Street and Tompkins 2017). Ireland has a younger population and introduced EWL policies relatively recently, increasing the age at which people qualify for the state pension to 66 in 2014 and announcing increases to 67 in 2021 and 68 in 2028 for all workers (Ní Léime and Street 2016). Recent Irish pension reforms also increased the number of contributions required for workers to qualify for the contributory state pension, linking state pensions even more closely to formal labour market participation (Duvvury et al .…”

Section: Policy Context In the Usa And Irelandmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This paper aims to address such oversights using data from recent comparative fieldwork about EWL, focusing exclusively on older women workers in the Republic of Ireland and the United States of America (USA). Recent research on the national policy changes involved in EWL (Ní Léime and Street 2016) demonstrates that the costs and benefits of EWL are unequally distributed by gender and across occupations, underscoring the need for more finely grained research about individuals with varying lifecourse trajectories and in different employment situations. This research explores the circumstances of older women workers in two occupations – health care (physically demanding and often precarious) and teaching (physically less demanding and secure) – in two liberal welfare states.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Working later in the USA and Ireland: implications for precariously and securely employed women

Léime

Street

2018

Ageing and Society

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Policies to extend working life (EWL) assume homogeneous workers face similar choices about working longer: this may be difficult for women, workers in physically onerous jobs or in low-paid precarious employment. Work-life trajectories are gendered; women interrupt employment and pension-building to provide care. There is occupational variation in capacities to prolong working lives: physically demanding jobs cause work-related health deficits. The precariously employed cannot contribute regularly to pensions and may face age discrimination. This research provides an inter-occupational and cross-national dimension to EWL research, comparing women teachers and health-care workers in the United States of America (USA) and Republic of Ireland. It documents intra-cohort distinctions that emerge among women when considering educational opportunities and occupational tracks expressed in lifecourse trajectories and accumulated capacities for extended work. Analysis draws on interview data from ten teachers and ten health-care workers in each country, comparing the implications of EWL policies for women workers: in precarious versus secure occupations and occupations with different physical demands. It reveals work-life trajectories leading to poorer financial and health outcomes for older health-care workers, especially in the USA. Most women (regardless of occupation or country) opposed extending working life, with concerns ranging from health status and ability to work to the desire to have healthy years in retirement. The most important distinctions are between the occupational categories considered, rather than cross-national differences. Implications for national and work-place policy and research are considered.

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Ireland

Léime¹,

Wijeratne²,

Duvvury³

2020

Extended Working Life Policies

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This chapter considers the gender and health implications of policies designed to extend working lives in Ireland from a feminist political economy of ageing perspective. The socioeconomic context, gender, pension and employment regime and the recent economic recession are discussed. Older Irish women's employment has increased from a low base but is still relatively low. There is a gender pay gap and a higher gender pension gap. Women's pension coverage is low compared to men's and they are more reliant on the lower non-contributory state pension. Reforms link pension amounts more closely to participation in paid employment, disadvantaging women who are more likely to leave paid employment for unpaid care-work. State pension age has increased quickly though the population is relatively young. For private sector workers, retirement age is typically 65, leaving a gap between retirement age and state pension age, currently 66 increasing to 67 in 2021 and 68 in 2028.

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Gender and age implications of extended working life policies in the US and Ireland

Cited by 19 publications

References 26 publications

Life-Course Influences on Extended Working: Experiences of Women in a UK Baby-Boom Birth Cohort

Life-Course Influences on Extended Working: Experiences of Women in a UK Baby-Boom Birth Cohort

Working later in the USA and Ireland: implications for precariously and securely employed women

Ireland

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