In recent years researchers and policy-makers have become increasingly concerned about the paucity of information on women's health. One area that is especially important is the health effects of work for women, particularly since women continue to move into the labor force in increasing numbers. Unfortunately, estimating the health effects of employment have proved to be difficult, primarily because much of the complexity of women's worklives has yet to be examined. The primary objective of the proposed research is to develop more realistic models of women's worklives and to understand the causal relationship between work and the physical and emotional health of mid- life women. The study is divided into two stages. The first stage addresses the effects of health, working conditions and fringe benefits, unpaid work, and family roles on subsequent patterns of paid and unpaid work. The second stage builds on the first to examine the effects of baseline characteristics and work patterns on health. Comparisons will be made between Black and White women throughout the study. The National Longitudinal Survey of Mature Women (NLS) will be used to address these issues. The NLS is a nationally representative sample examining the labor market experience of over 5,000 women. The original sample was selected in 1967 and subjects have been re-interviewed approximately every two years. Baseline measures of health, working conditions, unpaid work and family roles will be obtained from the 1982 survey, when the women were-between 45 and 59 years old. Patterns of paid and unpaid work will be examined from 1982 to 1989, and physical and emotional health will be assessed in 1989. As of 1989, approximately 3100 women remained in the study, ranging from 52 to 66 years of age. Several dependent variables are proposed and analytic methods include logistic regression, Poisson regression for count data, and simultaneous equation modeling. Assessment and correction for any sample selection bias will be addressed throughout the proposed study.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
Type
First Independent Research Support & Transition (FIRST) Awards (R29)
Project #
1R29AG011564-01A1
Application #
2052785
Study Section
Human Development and Aging Subcommittee 3 (HUD)
Project Start
1994-04-01
Project End
1999-03-31
Budget Start
1994-04-01
Budget End
1995-03-31
Support Year
1
Fiscal Year
1994
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Indiana University Bloomington
Department
Social Sciences
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
006046700
City
Bloomington
State
IN
Country
United States
Zip Code
47401
Pavalko, E K; Woodbury, S (2000) Social roles as process: caregiving careers and women's health. J Health Soc Behav 41:91-105
Pavalko, E K; Artis, J E (1997) Women's caregiving and paid work: causal relationships in late midlife. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 52:S170-9
Artis, J E (1997) Gendered perceptions of dependency in discussions of mental illness. J Health Soc Behav 38:387-402
Meyer, M H; Pavalko, E K (1996) Family, work, and access to health insurance among mature women. J Health Soc Behav 37:311-25