Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, Vol 51, Issue 1 S11-S17, Copyright © 1996 by The Gerontological Society of America
Gender differences in employment behavior during late middle age
CJ Ruhm
University of North Carolina-Greensboro, USA.
Gender differences in the employment rates of 55- to 59-year-olds are
concentrated among married persons. Wives are much less likely than their
husbands to hold jobs and, more often, to cite family motivations as their
most important reason for not working. The employment disparity is
partially the result of the coordinated retirement decisions (combined with
men typically marrying younger women), and is probably reinforced by the
heavier caregiving commitments of females. Several findings are consistent
with traditional role relationships, which emphasize specialization in
market employment by males and home activities among females; however, the
data are less compatible with a simple pattern where husbands "lead" and
wives "follow".
