Precarious Work in Midlife and Later-life Health and Mortality

• In Event: 1247 - Inequality, Life Course Processes, and Health in the U.S.

Abstract

In recent years, the United States experienced an increase in the prevalence of disability among midlife adults alongside a rise in precarious work – work that in uncertain, unstable, and insecure. Because precarious work is a chronic stressor that taxes mental and physical health, upward trends in precarious work and disability could be linked. However, prior research does not consider this possibility. Using survey data from adults aged 45-65 in the 2000-2014 waves of the Health and Retirement Study (n=15,717), this study examines changes in disability – difficulty with either an activity of daily living or an instrumental activity of daily living – over time and considers the role of precarious work. I also consider variation in the results by race and gender. Results show that declines in economic well-being (i.e., precarious work, work status, and income) and increases in the prevalence of health conditions (i.e., chronic conditions, pain, depressive symptoms) explain the increase in disability among midlife adults over the 21st century. If current trends in precarious work persist, the United States will continue to see increases in disability for midlife adults.

Author

• Rachel Donnelly, Vanderbilt University