Work-family trajectories and health: A systematic review

Gendered work-family life courses and late-life physical functioning: A comparative analysis from 28 European countries

“…Paid work and family circumstances are interrelated and gendered life domains that structure the accumulation of health-related resources over the life course (Aisenbrey & Fasang, 2017;Mayer, 2009). Research has established strong evidence on the combined impact of these two life domains on different health outcomes, showing how adverse circumstances early in life accumulate and pose health risks at older ages (for a review, see Machů et al, 2022). Yet, life course research in social epidemiology has predominantly focused on how work-family trajectories affect self-reported measures of general health (e.g., Bennett & Waterhouse, 2018;McDonough et al, 2015;Zella & Harper, 2018 or mental well-being (e.g., Engels et al, 2021;Hernandez Saucedo et al, 2022;Ice et al, 2020;McDonough et al, 2015;Xue et al, 2021;Zella & Harper, 2020).…”

“…Yet, life course research in social epidemiology has predominantly focused on how work-family trajectories affect self-reported measures of general health (e.g., Bennett & Waterhouse, 2018;McDonough et al, 2015;Zella & Harper, 2018 or mental well-being (e.g., Engels et al, 2021;Hernandez Saucedo et al, 2022;Ice et al, 2020;McDonough et al, 2015;Xue et al, 2021;Zella & Harper, 2020). This results in an incomplete picture, where it remains an open question as to whether combining work and family roles throughout the life course enhances or harms physical functioning in old age (Machů et al, 2022). In addition, we know little about whether and how this may vary between men and women and across institutional contexts (Boye, 2011;Machů et al, 2022;Worts et al, 2016;Zella & Harper, 2018.…”

“…This results in an incomplete picture, where it remains an open question as to whether combining work and family roles throughout the life course enhances or harms physical functioning in old age (Machů et al, 2022). In addition, we know little about whether and how this may vary between men and women and across institutional contexts (Boye, 2011;Machů et al, 2022;Worts et al, 2016;Zella & Harper, 2018. This knowledge gap becomes especially relevant against the background of ongoing changes in gender roles and increasing labour market insecurity for both genders.…”

“…Surprisingly, most empirical studies assess either time patterns of work-family trajectories as predictors for health outcomes other than physical functioning (cf. Machů et al, 2022), or they look at physical health outcomes but without taking into account the complex ways in which the domains of work and family intertwine throughout the life course (e.g., Thomeer et al, 2022;Wahrendorf et al, 2020). Yet, work-family life courses matter not only for (mental) well-being but also for physical functioning in later life.…”

“…The gender differences in the life course events and circumstances are also of particular interest. However, even though men are increasingly involved in family life and childcare (Patterson & Margolis, 2019), they are often excluded from the empirical analyses (Machů et al, 2022) under the (possibly incorrect) assumption that combining work and family responsibilities matters less for men since traditionally they are not the primary family caregivers (McMunn et al, 2016). Among the few studies considering men as well as women (e.g., Engels et al, 2021;Lacey et al, 2017;Tosi & Grundy, 2019), results are consistent in showing that the different combinations of work and family circumstances have gendered consequences on health conditions in later life.…”