The shifting sands of time: Results from the English longitudinal study of ageing on multiple transitions in later life

Abstract

The deinstitutionalization of the life course and the increased agency of older people have dis/re-organized the temporal and spatial foundations of later life. Old age is becoming a time of transitions (and instability) as the labor market participation and the family arrangements of older people become more varied and as older people themselves become more mobile and healthier than ever before. Many studies exist that illustrate the improving health of the older population, their changing patterns of work, residence and family. However few studies have had the opportunity to look at how changes in one dimension are related to changes in others. The English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) is the largest study of older people in England and contains data on the demographic, employment, housing and health characteristics of over 11,000 people aged 50 and over. Using data from the first wave of data collection and baseline data from the Health Surveys for England (from which the ELSA sample was drawn) we have looked at transitions over five dimensions amongst the over 50s in England: transitions in labor market position, health status, marital status, household composition and residential location. Transitions in each of the dimensions were explored for the sample as a whole and then by sex and by cohort. Finally the relations between the different transitions were explored. The results show the majority of the sample experience change in at least one dimension and around one quarter in two dimensions. There were few differences between the sexes, although women were more likely to experience a change in labor market position. However there were differences between the age groups. Those in the older groups were less likely to experience transitions, apart from transitions in health statuses. Overall the data confirm that later life is a dynamic portion of the life course. These findings raise issues about our ability adequately to describe later life.