Does labour market disadvantage help to explain why childhood circumstances are related to quality of life at older ages? Results from SHARE

There is robust evidence that childhood circumstances are related to quality of life in older ages, but the role of possible intermediate factors is less explored. In this paper, we examine to what extent associations between deprived childhood circumstances and quality of life at older ages are due to experienced labour market disadvantage during adulthood. Analyses are based on the Survey of Health Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), with detailed retrospective information on individual life courses collected among 10,272 retired men and women in 13 European countries (2008-2009). Our assumption is that those who have spent their childhood in deprived circumstances may also have had more labour market disadvantage with negative consequences for quality of life beyond working life. Results demonstrate that advantaged circumstances during childhood are associated with lower levels of labour market disadvantage and higher quality of life in older ages. Furthermore, results of multivariate analyses support the idea that part of the association between childhood circumstances and later quality of life is explained by labour market disadvantage during adulthood

Labour force transitions and changes in quality of life at age 50 to 55 years: evidence from a birth cohort study

In the context of an ageing population and longer working lives, the impact of increasing rates of early exit from the labour force on quality of life is a particularly current concern. However, relatively little is known about the impact on quality of life of later life labour force transitions and various forms of early exit from the labour force, compared to remaining in employment. This paper examines life course labour force trajectories and transitions in relation to change in quality of life prior to the State Pension Age. Life course data on early life circumstances, labour force trajectories and labour force transitions from 3,894 women and 3,528 men in the National Child Development Study (1958 British Birth Cohort) were examined in relation to change in quality of life, measured by a short-form version of CASP, between ages 50 and 55 years. Women and men differed in the types of labour force transition associated with positive change in quality of life, with men more frequent beneficiaries. For both men and women, labour force exit due to being sick or disabled was associated with a negative change in quality of life, whereas joining the labour force was associated with a positive change in quality of life. Moving into retirement was associated with a positive change in men’s quality of life, but not women’s. Moving from full-time to part-time employment was associated with a positive change in women’s quality of life, but not men’s. The findings that stand out for their policy relevance are: the threat to the quality of life of both women and men from early labour force exit due to limiting longstanding illness; and, women are less likely to experience beneficial labour force exit in the later years of their working life, but are more likely to benefit from a reduction in working hours

The Relationship Between Financial Distress and Life-Course Socioeconomic Inequalities in Well-Being:Cross-National Analysis of European Welfare States

Objectives. We investigated to what extent current financial distress explains the relationship between life-course socioeconomic position and well-being in Southern, Scandinavian, Postcommunist, and Bismarckian welfare regimes. Methods. We analyzed individuals (n = 18 324) aged 50 to 75 years in the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe, 2006–2009. Well-being was measured with CASP-12 (which stands for control, autonomy, self-realization, and pleasure) and life satisfaction. We generated a life-course socioeconomic index from 8 variables and calculated multilevel regression models (containing individuals nested within 13 countries), as well as stratified single-level models by welfare regime. Results. Life-course socioeconomic advantage was related to higher well-being; the difference in life satisfaction between the most and least advantaged was 2.09 (95% confidence interval = 1.87, 2.31) among women and 1.65 (95% confidence interval = 1.43, 1.87) among men. The weakest associations were found among Scandinavian countries. Financial distress was associated with lower well-being and attenuated the relationship between life-course socioeconomic position and well-being in all regimes (ranging from 34.26% in Postcommunist to 72.22% in Scandinavian countries). Conclusions. We found narrower inequalities in well-being in the Scandinavian regime. Reducing financial distress may help improve well-being and reduce inequalities

Literacy, numeracy and disadvantage among older adults in England

This report sets findings from new research on the relationships between the literacy and numeracy levels of older adults and the extent of disadvantage in later life. The research consisted of a review of the literature and secondary analysis of a quantitative data source on older adults

Quality of life at older ages and marital status: gender and welfare regime variation

Background: Evidence of an association between marital status and well-being has been demonstrated, with married people reporting higher levels of well-being. However, the strength of this relationship in later life may be influenced by both societal context and gender. This thesis will examine the association between marital status and quality of life in older people and consider if this relationship varies by welfare arrangements and if gender moderates these associations. This research will also explore how quality of life is experienced within married couples. Methods: Quality of life was measured using CASP-12. The relationship with both current and past marital status was examined. Analyses were conducted using data from The Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) and the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA). A welfare state regime approach was used to examine societal context and due to feminist criticisms of these approaches, two further methods of comparison were used. A dyadic data technique was also used to examine the interdependence of quality of life for married people. Results: Current marital status was found to be a predictor of quality of life at older ages. However, variation in this association was observed across the welfare state regimes. When health and socio-economic circumstances were taken into account, the advantage of marriage for quality of life was often attenuated. Gender differences in this relationship were also observed; especially when gender focused methods were examined. Spousal interdependence of quality of life was also observed within married couples. Conclusions: This research expands our understanding of the association between marriage and well-being by suggesting that societal context is important and that marriage may offer men and women different kinds of protection as they age. It also suggests that for older married couples, quality of life is not just an individual experience.Open Acces

Activation policies from a gender-sensible citizenship perspective: a tentative analytical framework

The paper develops a tentative analytical framework for systematically comparing different types of activation policies with regard to their implications for the welfare triangle between state-market-family and gender inequalities. Starting point is the realization that the meanwhile universal “activation paradigm” of labour market policies, i.e. the (re-)commodification of all adults able to work, affects the welfare production of families as it conflicts with the unpaid care work for dependants performed primarily by women. From a theoretical background of social citizenship rights, it is assumed that this unpaid care work can neither be fully commodified and de-familised, nor that this is desirable for society. Rather, the notion of an inclusive social citizenship developed by feminist welfare state research includes both earning and caring responsibilities of all citizens as a basis for recognition and subsistence. Two main research questions arising from this inherent tension of activation policies are tackled in this paper: First, how do the different country variants of activation policies address this tension and what are the interdependencies between national welfare and gender regimes and the specific activation type? Second, what are the outcomes of this interplay in terms of social inequality especially with regard to gender and class, and regarding the notion of inclusive social citizenship? To operationalise these questions for comparative research, a tentative analytical framework is proposed, developing seven relevant dimensions and respective indicators to measure or assess them. This analytical tool has been applied in a case study of German activation policies, whose central findings are summarised, drawing conclusions in the light of comparative research. -- Das Papier entwickelt einen vorläufigen Analyserahmen für den systematischen Vergleich unterschiedlicher Typen von Aktivierungspolitiken im Hinblick auf ihre Implikationen für das Wohlfahrtsdreieck zwischen Staat-Markt-Familie und Geschlechterungleichheiten. Ausgangspunkt ist die Erkenntnis, dass das inzwischen universell gültige arbeitsmarktpolitische Aktivierungsparadigma, d. h. die (Re-)Kommodifizierung aller erwerbsfähigen Bürgerinnen und Bürger, die Wohlfahrtsproduktion der Familie insofern betrifft als es mit der vor allem von Frauen unbezahlt geleisteten Sorgearbeit für Angehörige kollidiert. Auf dem theoretischen Hintergrund sozialer BürgerInnenrechte wird angenommen, dass diese unbezahlte Sorgearbeit weder vollständig kommodifiziert und de-familialisiert werden kann, noch dass dies gesellschaftlich wünschenswert ist. Vielmehr bedeutet die Idee einer inklusiven sozialen Staatsbürgerschaft wie sie in der feministischen Wohlfahrtsstaatsforschung entwickelt wurde, dass sie sowohl Erwerbs- als auch Sorgeverantwortung aller Bürger und Bürgerinnen als Basis für Anerkennung und Subsistenzrechte einschließt. Ausgehend von diesem dem Aktivierungsparadigma inhärenten Spannungsverhältnis werden zwei zentrale Forschungsfragen formuliert: Erstens, wie beantworten die unterschiedlichen Ländervarianten von Aktivierungspolitik dieses Spannungsverhältnis und welche Interdependenzen bestehen zwischen Wohlfahrts- und Gender-Regimen und dem spezifischen Aktivierungstyp? Zweitens, was sind die Ergebnisse dieses Zusammenspiels im Hinblick auf soziale Ungleichheiten besonders von Geschlecht und Klasse und hinsichtlich der Idee sozial inklusiver Staatsbürgerschaft? Um diese Fragen für die vergleichende Forschung zu operationalisieren, wird ein vorläufiger Analyserahmen vorgeschlagen, der sieben relevante Dimensionen und entsprechende Indikatoren für deren Messung und Bewertung enthält. Dieses Analyseinstrument wurde für eine Fallstudie deutscher Aktivierungspolitik angewendet, deren zentrale Befunde im Licht vergleichender Forschung diskutiert werden.

The Long Shadow of Youth: Girls' Transition From Full-Time Education and Later-Life Subjective Well-Being in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing

OBJECTIVES: To investigate whether the timing and nature of women's transitions out of full-time (FT) education are related to later life subjective well-being and the life course experiences that might explain any associations seen. METHOD: Data are from women in wave 3 of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing who have participated in the life history interview and were aged 50+ at the interview (n=3,889). Using multichannel sequence analysis, we identified six types of transition out of FT education (ages 14-26). Regression models were used to examine associations between transition types and life satisfaction, quality of life, and depressive symptoms at age 50+. RESULTS: Women who made early transitions to married parenthood and FT domestic labour had lower levels of wellbeing on all three later life well-being outcomes (p&0.01), compared to women who made later transitions to family life and remained employed. Women who remained single up to age 26 also had lower life satisfaction (p&0.05) and quality of life (p&0.01) in later life than their counterparts who married and had children. These associations were explained by the life course socioeconomic and relationship pathways. Advantaged childhood socioeconomic circumstances and higher educational qualifications set 'Later Marriage and Later employment' women apart onto advantaged trajectories and a better quality of life later (p&0.01). DISCUSSION: The timing and nature of exits from FT education played a pivotal role in setting people onto lifecourse trajectories that influence wellbeing in later life for this older generation of women

Social Inequality and Diversity of Families Working Report (April 2010)

In this state‐of‐art report we focus on some of the more relevant issues from the perspective of social inequality and families within and across European societies. We begin by addressing the three main topics included in this existential field by the Family Platform Project: migration, poverty, family violence. Additionally, we will look at two key issues which are important in contextualizing and discussing the above‐mentioned topics. First, we will summarize recent trends in social inequality in European societies. Secondly, we will review some of existing research on the relationship between social inequalities and families, by examining the impact of social inequality on family forms and dynamics as well as the transmission and reproduction of inequalities within families. Social inequality shapes family life, but families and their members must also be seen as actors in the system of inequality (transmitting inequalities to subsequent generations, reproducing them within the home and through their networks, and resisting the effects of inequality). Research review in this existential field was carried out separately on each of the abovementioned topics. Migration, poverty and family violence are large and autonomous fields of research which do not have common theoretical and methodological underpinnings or empirical data sets. For this report it was therefore important to grasp the major trends and findings within each research topic before moving on to broader conclusions on research into social inequalities and diversity of families in Europe.FAMILYPLATFORM (SSH‐2009‐3.2.2 Social platform on research for families and family policies): funded by the European Union’s 7th Framework Programme for 18 months (October 2009 – March 2011)

Investment Bank Power and Neoliberal Regulation: From the Volcker Shock to the Volcker Rule (Preprint)

investment banking monopoly capital powerThe power of investment banks has played a pivotal role in the monopoly capital school’s analyses of US capitalist development. However this paper suggests that monopoly capital’s explanation of the changing nature of this power is severely limited. These limitations can be traced to the school’s logically circular and empirically inoperable theory of capital accumulation. The paper goes on to offer an alternative theoretical-empirical account of the power of investment banks since the early 1980s. Based on the notion of capital as power, the research suggests, contrary to the monopoly capital account, that investment banks have experienced a rapid resurgence in their power over this period. This resurgence must be understood with reference to the unique ways that investment banks have maneuvered within neoliberal regulation