ABSTRACT
The aim of this chapter is to understand the gender and health implications of extending working life policies and practices in countries characterised by contrasting gender regimes, pension systems and labour market structures. We begin by recognising the methodological and conceptual challenges associated with using survey data to study the working conditions of older men and women in the European context. Then, we attempt to avoid some of these biases in order to map the main factors that differentiate the working conditions of the 50+ age group across countries. The chapter is structured in two parts. Firstly, we use the OECD Employment Database and the Labour Force Survey (LFS) to map the gendered employment patterns of the over 50s in a range of European countries, selected for their contrasting gender and welfare regimes. Secondly, we use data from the sixth wave of the European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS) to carry out Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA), aimed at identifying the factors that differentiate the employment experiences of older (50+) workers in the European context. In conclusion, we stress the need to interpret the results of this MCA against the backdrop of gendered employment patterns across the life course and in relation to country-specific welfare regimes and pension systems.
