What is the effort for? Employment histories and incomes in later life in Europe
The income situation of the elderly population in modern welfare states is the result of an interplay of individual developments over the life course and the national institutional and policy framework. While achievements on the labor market generally are the basis for the economic status in retirement, their actual effect, however, may vary according to the specific national conditions related to pension system, labor market policy and gender regime. I use data of the SHARELIFE study (3rd wave of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe), which contains life-history information of older individuals in 13 European countries, to analyze individual and institutional determinants of the income situation in later life and their interplay. The results show, first, considerable cross-national variation in the effect of employment history characteristics, especially regarding female part-time employment and family care. Second, institutional factors shape the relationship of employment history and old age income situation of women, while those factors are rather irrelevant for the income situation of older men.
The talk will also include a comparison of SHARE and SOEP regarding the survey procedures for retrospective employment history information.