How Do Multiple Roles Affect Young and Middle-Aged Women's Health? The Impacts of Employment and Family Roles

Abstract

Using a national representative sample of Taiwanese women age 18 to 64 (n=896) from the Taiwan Social Change Survey conducted in 2002, this study investigates the health effects of multiple roles on health for young and middle-aged women. In light of the Role Substitution Hypothesis, the Role Complementation Hypothesis, and the Role Combination Strain Hypothesis, certain interacting effects between marriage, employment, motherhood, and filial role are examined. Statistical analyses are performed separately for young and middle-aged women to examine the association between social roles occupied and health outcomes as well as interactions between age and the nature of work and family roles on health. Results show that certain social roles are more relevant to health status for women at specific stages of the life course. When marriage and filial role are associated with better perceived health for young women, motherhood is more beneficial in perceived health for middle-aged women. These findings imply that intergenerational relationships are strongly associated with Taiwanese women's perceived health status. In addition, complementary health effects between employment and motherhood are found among middle-aged women. Analyses of this study suggest that the impacts of multiple roles on health are subjected to change according to women's age, the nature of family roles, and the type of employment. Considering the overall results, we emphasize that in order to delineate the complicated relationships between social roles and women's health, more specific characteristics of roles occupied by women need to be taken into account.