Employment Responses to a Partner’s Disability Onset: Do Working Conditions Matter?

Constance Beaufils , King's College London
Karen F. Glaser, King's College London
Ben Geiger, King's College

Informal spousal caregiving plays a crucial role in complementing formal care services and is likely to shape care providers’ health and work trajectories. Previous research has documented the impact of health diagnoses on partners’ employment outcomes but did not focus on caregiving nor observe how these effects may vary with job characteristics. This research estimates the effects of spousal care shocks on employment behaviors, with an emphasis on how these effects differ with working conditions. We draw on data from the English Longitudinal Survey of Aging, an annual survey interviewing household members aged 50+ in England. We identify individuals whose partners reported the onset of difficulties in activities of daily living between two waves (N = 953) and define this transition as a care shock. Propensity score matching and difference-in-difference methods estimate employment transitions after a care shock. The observed employment outcomes indicate whether the partner/potential caregiver is employed, is working full-time or part-time, has the same job as in the previous wave, and reports to be looking for a new job. We explore variations in these outcomes based on gender and working conditions, which are assessed using Job Exposure Matrices. Preliminary findings suggest substantial changes in labor supply dynamics following a care shock. Individuals whose partners reported a disability onset are more likely to become non-employed, retired, or part-time employed in the next wave. These variations are more pronounced among women. Further analysis will investigate how employment transitions following a care shock vary with working conditions.

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 Presented in Session 95. Families, Ageing and Health