Abstract
This study uses multi-channel sequence analysis to characterize work-family life course types between the ages of 16 and 42, and multivariable logistic regression to examine their association with psychological distress at age 42/43 for men and women in three nationally-representative British birth cohorts born in 1946 (N = 2,858), 1958 (N = 9,140), and 1970 (N = 7,095). We hypothesised that work-family life courses characterized by weaker links to employment and earlier transitions to partnerships and parenthood would be associated with a greater probability of psychological distress at age 42, and that this association would be become more pronounced across cohorts. Levels of psychological distress were higher amongst men and women with weaker long-term ties to employment, although these were largely explained by early life factors. Teen mothers had higher levels of psychological distress in the two later-born cohorts, and this remained unexplained in adjusted models for the 1970 cohort.
Highlights
Many countries have seen dramatic changes over the past forty years in the nature of work, family and the normative gender divisions be tween them steadily eroding (Kan et al, 2011; Perelli-Harris et al, 2017; Office for National Statistics, 2013)
Four work-family life course types (LCTs) characterized by part-time employment or taking time off work to look after the family contained too few men in any of the three cohorts to produce reliable estimates
By taking a life course approach this study has contributed to our understanding of how mental health in mid-life is associated with workfamily biographies in three ways: the use of multi-channel sequence analysis has allowed for the identification of combinations of work and family life that are linked with psychological distress in mid-life, the Advances in Life Course Research xxx (xxxx) xxx importance of cohort differences in links between work-family bi ographies and psychological distress in mid-life were highlighted, and the importance of early life factors in understanding links between workfamily biographies and psychological distress in mid-life was demonstrated
Summary
Many countries have seen dramatic changes over the past forty years in the nature of work, family and the normative gender divisions be tween them (public, paid labour for men, unpaid caring and domestic labour for women) steadily eroding (Kan et al, 2011; Perelli-Harris et al, 2017; Office for National Statistics, 2013). This potential move towards ‘gender convergence’ may have implications for the mental health of men and women.
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