Access and Use of Paid Leave Among Older Adults

• In Event: Broadening the Evidence on State Paid Leave Access and Outcomes

Abstract

Increased life expectancy at a time of reduced retirement security is leading many Americans to work later into older age. Paid leave policies – offered through both employers and public mechanisms in some jurisdictions - provide support to workers by offering paid time off to address health and caretaking needs. Studies that focus on the use of paid leave programs to care for older adults, have focused on the use of policies for caregiving, but little is known about access and use of leave among older workers, given their elevated health and caregiving needs that are often in tension with maintaining employment and retirement planning.

We combine data from the 2011 and 2017-18 American Time Use Survey (ATUS) to examine access and unmet need for paid leave among employed adults ages 55-70 by age cohort, difficulty with activities of daily life, gender, and race/ethnicity. We find that access to paid leave declines as workers age, but that there are no disparities in access to paid leave based on whether a respondent reports at least one difficulty in performing daily life tasks, and that the lowest access to paid leave is found among Hispanic workers. Female workers and Black workers are more likely than male or white workers to report unmet need for leave. Our findings suggest that broad paid leave mandates – such as those available in other high-income countries – may be required to support an aging workforce and ensure equity of access to paid leave when it is needed.

Authors

• Meredith Slopen, Stony Brook University
  Presenting Author

• Arash Pourebrahimi, CUNY Graduate Center
  Non-Presenting Co-Author