%0 Journal Article %J Gerontologist %D 2019 %T Asset Depletion, Chronic Financial Stress, and Mortgage Trouble Among Older Female Homeowners. %A Amy Castro Baker %A West, Stacia %A Wood, Anna %K Chronic stress %K Financial Health %K Mortgages %K Retirement Planning and Satisfaction %K Wealth Inequality %K Women and Minorities %X

Background and Objectives: The Great Recession disproportionately impacted older adults and women of color, suggesting that women may be entering retirement without adequate assets. However, the current literature lacks a detailed account of women's experiences of mortgage trouble and foreclosure, as well as a longitudinal view of how these experiences impacted their overall financial assets.

Research Design and Methods: Grounded in cumulative inequality theory, this mixed methods study employed a QUAL→quan approach to gather qualitative data from a sample of 21 older adult women regarding their experiences of mortgage trouble. Quantitative longitudinal data was gathered for a subsample of the Early Baby Boomer Cohort using the Health and Retirement Study.

Results: Qualitative findings indicated women approaching retirement experienced chronic underemployment, wage stagnation, and financial volatility as contributors to asset depletion and eventual mortgage default or foreclosure. Quantitative results indicated asset depletion both during and post-Recession was considerably more pronounced among older adult women of color compared to older adult White men.

Discussion and Implications: These findings suggest that a lifetime of financial disadvantage coupled with macroeconomic instability situates older adult women, particularly women of color, in a financially vulnerable position for retirement. The ways in which 2017 attacks on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Dodd-Frank, and the Fiduciary rule carry potential to further destabilize this population are also discussed.

%B Gerontologist %V 59 %P 230-241 %G eng %N 2 %1 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28958066?dopt=Abstract %R 10.1093/geront/gnx137 %0 Journal Article %J SSM - Population Health %D 2019 %T Changes in depressive symptoms over age among older Americans: Differences by gender, race/ethnicity, education, and birth cohort %A Leah R. Abrams %A Neil K Mehta %K Depressive symptoms %K Education %K Gender Differences %K Racial/ethnic differences %K Women and Minorities %X Despite concerns about recent trends in the health and functioning of older Americans, little is known about dynamics of depression among recent cohorts of U.S. older adults and how these dynamics differ across sociodemographic groups. This study examined sociodemographic differences in mid- and late-life depressive symptoms over age, as well as changes over time. Using nationally representative data from the Health and Retirement Study (1994–2014), we estimated mixed effects models to generate depressive symptoms over age by gender, race/ethnicity, education, and birth cohort in 33,280 adults ages 51–90 years. Depressive symptoms were measured using the 8-item Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression scale. Women compared to men, low compared to high education groups, and racial/ethnic minorities compared to whites exhibited higher depressive symptoms. The largest disparity resulted from education, with those without high school degrees exhibiting over two more predicted depressive symptoms in midlife compared to those with college degrees. Importantly, war babies and baby boomers (born 1942–1959) exhibited slightly higher depressive symptoms with more decreasing symptoms over age than their predecessors (born 1931–1941) at ages 51–65. We additionally observed an age-as-leveler pattern by gender, whereby females compared to males had higher depressive symptomology from ages 51–85, but not at ages 86–90. Our findings have implication for gauging the aging population's overall well-being, for public health policies aimed at reducing health disparities, and for anticipating demand on an array of health and social services. %B SSM - Population Health %V 7 %G eng %N 100399 %! SSM - Population Health %R 10.1016/j.ssmph.2019.100399 %0 Journal Article %J Journal of Aging and Health %D 2019 %T Cohort Trends in the Gender Distribution of Household Tasks in the United States and the Implications for Understanding Disability %A Connor M Sheehan %A Benjamin W Domingue %A Eileen M. Crimmins %K Cohort Studies %K Disabilities %K Gender Differences %K Household %K Women and Minorities %X Objectives: Measures of disability depend on health and social roles in a given environment. Yet, social roles can change over time as they have by gender. We document how engagement in Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs) is shifting by gender and birth cohort among older adults, and the challenges these shifts can create for population-level estimates of disability. Method: We used the Health and Retirement Study (N = 25,047) and multinomial logistic regression models with an interaction term between gender and birth cohort to predict limitation and nonperformance relative to no difficulty conducting IADLs. Results: Nonperformance of IADLs have significantly decreased among younger cohorts. Women in younger cohorts were more likely to use a map, whereas men in younger cohorts were more likely to prepare meals and shop. Discussion: Failing to account for gender and cohort changes in IADL, performance may lead to systematic bias in estimates of population-level disability. %B Journal of Aging and Health %G eng %! J Aging Health %R 10.1177/0898264318793469 %0 Journal Article %J The Gerontologist %D 2019 %T Complex multimorbidity and breast cancer screening among midlife and older women: The role of perceived need %A David F Warner %A Siran M Koroukian %A Nicholas K Schiltz %A Kathleen A Smyth %A Cooper, Gregory S %A Owusu, Cynthia %A Kurt C Stange %A Nathan A. Berger %K Cancer screenings %K Comorbidity %K Decision making %K Women and Minorities %X Background and Objectives There is minimal survival benefit to cancer screening for those with poor clinical presentation (complex multimorbidity) or at advanced ages. The current screening mammography guidelines consider these objective indicators. There has been less attention, however, to women’s subjective assessment of screening need. This study examines the interplay between complex multimorbidity, age, and subjective assessments of health and longevity for screening mammography receipt. Research Design and Method This cross-sectional study uses self-reported data from 8,938 women over the age of 52 in the 2012 Health and Retirement Study. Logistic regression models estimated the association between women’s complex multimorbidity (co-occurrence of chronic conditions, functional limitations, and/or geriatric syndromes), subjective health and longevity assessments, age, and screening mammography in the 2 years before the interview. These associations were evaluated adjusting for sociodemographic and behavioral factors. Results Both age and complex multimorbidity were negatively associated with screening mammography. However, women’s perceived need for screening moderated these effects. Most significantly, women optimistic about their chances of living another 10–15 years were more likely to have had screening mammography regardless of their health conditions or advanced age. Discussion and Implications Women with more favorable self-assessed health and perceived life expectancy were more likely to receive screening mammography even if they have poor clinical presentation or advanced age. This is contrary to current cancer screening guidelines and suggests an opportunity to engage women’s subjective health and longevity assessments for cancer screening decision making in both for screening policy and in individual clinician recommendations. %B The Gerontologist %V 59 %P S77 - S87 %G eng %U https://academic.oup.com/gerontologist/article/59/Supplement_1/S77/5491135http://academic.oup.com/gerontologist/article-pdf/59/Supplement_1/S77/28667857/gny180.pdf %N Supplement_1 %R 10.1093/geront/gny180 %0 Journal Article %J Evolution and Human Behavior %D 2019 %T Do post-menopausal women provide more care to their kin?: Evidence of grandparental caregiving from two large-scale national surveys %A Hofer, Marlise K. %A Collins, Hanne K. %A Mishra, Gita D. %A Schaller, Mark %K Family Roles/Relationships %K Grandparents %K Menopause %K Women and Minorities %X Drawing on the logical principles of life-history theory, it may be hypothesized that—compared to pre-menopausal women—post-menopausal women will spend more time caring for grandchildren and other kin. This hypothesis was tested in two studies, on results obtained from two large datasets documenting altruistic behaviors of pre-menopausal and post-menopausal women in the United States (n = 7161) and Australia (N = 25,066). Results from both studies revealed that (even when controlling statistically for age, health, financial resources, and other pertinent variables), post-menopausal women devoted more time to grandparental caregiving. This effect was specific to kin care: Menopause status was not as strongly related to a measure of non-kin-directed altruistic behavior (time spent volunteering). These results provide the first empirical support for a previously-untested behavioral implication of menopause. %B Evolution and Human Behavior %V 40 %P 355-364 %G eng %N 4 %! Evolution and Human Behavior %R 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2019.04.002 %0 Journal Article %J Menopause %D 2019 %T Genetic associations with age of menopause in familial longevity. %A Harold Bae %A Kathryn L Lunetta %A Joanne M Murabito %A Andersen, Stacy L %A Schupf, Nicole %A Thomas T Perls %A Sebastiani, Paola %K Genetics %K Menopause %K Women and Minorities %X

OBJECTIVE: We hypothesize that mechanisms associated with extended reproductive age may overlap with mechanisms for the selection of genetic variants that slow aging and decrease risk for age-related diseases. Therefore, the goal of this analysis is to search for genetic variants associated with delayed age of menopause (AOM) among women in a study of familial longevity.

METHODS: We performed a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies for AOM in 1,286 women in the Long Life Family Study (LLFS) and 3,151 women in the Health and Retirement Study, and then sought replication in the Framingham Heart Study (FHS). We used Cox proportional hazard regression of AOM to account for censoring, with a robust variance estimator to adjust for within familial relations.

RESULTS: In the meta-analysis, a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) previously associated with AOM reached genome-wide significance (rs16991615; HR = 0.74, P = 6.99 × 10). A total of 35 variants reached >10 level of significance and replicated in the FHS and in a 2015 large meta-analysis (ReproGen Consortium). We also identified several novel SNPs associated with AOM including rs3094005: MICB, rs13196892: TXNDC5 | MUTED, rs72774935: SSBP2 | ATG10, rs9447453: COL12A1, rs114298934: FHL2 | NCK2, rs6467223: TNPO3, rs9666274 and rs10766593: NAV2, and rs7281846: HSPA13.

CONCLUSIONS: This work indicates novel associations and replicates known associations between genetic variants and AOM. A number of these associations make sense for their roles in aging.

VIDEO SUMMARY: Supplemental Digital Content 1, http://links.lww.com/MENO/A420.

%B Menopause %8 9 %G eng %1 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31188284?dopt=Abstract %R 10.1097/GME.0000000000001367 %0 Journal Article %J International journal of aging & human development %D 2019 %T His and Her Retirement: Effects of Gender and Familial Caregiving Profiles on Retirement Timing. %A Rachel R Stoiko %A Strough, JoNell %K Caregiving %K Gender Differences %K Retirement Planning and Satisfaction %K Women and Minorities %X Objectives: Retirement timing has been linked to a host of outcomes for individuals, families, and societies. The present study predicted retirement timing using profiles of preretirement family caregiving and gender. Method: Using longitudinal data from the Health and Retirement Study, cluster analysis was used to create profiles of preretirement family caregiving (operationalized as time and financial transfers to aging parents and adult children). These profiles, as well as gender, were used to predict later retirement timing. Result:s Four distinct preretirement caregiving profiles were evident. All profiles retired, on average, earlier than their full eligibility for Social Security benefits. A main effect of caregiving profile, but not gender, was evident. The Eldercare profile, which was characterized by high levels of time and financial transfers to aging parents, retired the earliest. There was not a significant interaction between caregiving profile and gender. Discussion: When men enacted female-typical caregiving roles, their retirement timing resembled women's. Eldercare, in particular, was associated with earlier retirement timing. Implications for individual retirement decision-making and policy are discussed. %B International journal of aging & human development %G eng %1 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29911387?dopt=Abstract %R 10.1177/0091415018780009 %0 Journal Article %J Age and Ageing %D 2019 %T Sex differences in the association between salivary telomere length and multimorbidity within the US Health & Retirement Study %A Niedzwiedz, Claire L. %A Katikireddi, Srinivasa Vittal %A Pell, Jill P. %A Smith, Daniel J. %K Comorbidity %K Genetics %K Telomeres %K Women and Minorities %X Background Telomere length is associated with several physical and mental health conditions, but whether it is a marker of multimorbidity is unclear. We investigated associations between telomere length and multimorbidity by sex. Methods Data from adults (N = 5,495) aged ≥50 years were taken from the US Health and Retirement Study (2008–14). Telomere length was measured in 2008 from salivary samples. The cross-sectional associations between telomere length and eight chronic health conditions were explored using logistic regression, adjusting for confounders and stratified by sex. Logistic, ordinal and multinomial regression models were calculated to explore relationships between telomere length and multimorbidity (using a binary variable and a sum of the number of health conditions) and the type of multimorbidity (no multimorbidity, physical multimorbidity, or multimorbidity including psychiatric problems). Using multilevel logistic regression, prospective relationships between telomere length and incident multimorbidity were also explored. Results In cross-sectional analyses, longer telomeres were associated with reduced likelihood of lung disease and psychiatric problems among men, but not women. Longer telomeres were associated with lower risk of multimorbidity that included psychiatric problems among men (OR=0.521, 95% CI: 0.284 to 0.957), but not women (OR=1.188, 95% CI: 0.771 to 1.831). Prospective analyses suggested little association between telomere length and the onset of multimorbidity in men (OR=1.378, 95% CI: 0.931 to 2.038) nor women (OR=1.224, 95% CI: 0.825 to 1.815). Conclusions Although telomere length does not appear to be a biomarker of overall multimorbidity, further exploration of the relationships is merited particularly for multimorbidity including psychiatric conditions among men. %B Age and Ageing %V 48 %P 703–710 %G eng %U https://academic.oup.com/ageing/article/48/5/703/5511442 %N 5 %9 Journal %R 10.1093/ageing/afz071 %0 Journal Article %J Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences %D 2019 %T Social Relationships and Salivary Telomere Length Among Middle-Aged and Older African American and White Adults. %A Karen D Lincoln %A Donald A Lloyd %A Ann W Nguyen %K African Americans %K Social Relationships %K Telomeres %K Women and Minorities %X

Objectives: A common mechanism underlying premature morbidity may be accelerated biological aging as reflected by salivary telomere length (STL). This study examined the extent to which social relationships, both positive and negative, can be protective or confer risk relative to biological aging.

Method: Data from the Health and Retirement Study and multiple regression were used to examine cross-sectional associations between STL, self-reported social support, and negative interaction (e.g., conflict, criticism) with family in a nationally representative sample of African American and non-Hispanic White middle-aged and older adults (N = 4,080).

Results: Social support from family was associated with shorter STL. Negative interaction with family had no main effect on STL but interactions characterized by high social support and more frequent negative interactions were associated with longer STL. Negative interaction with family was negatively associated with STL for African Americans and Whites but the magnitude of the effect was greater for African Americans.

Discussion: Study findings highlight the role of social relationships in physiological deterioration among middle-aged and older adults and identify a potential mechanism whereby race is linked to accelerated biological aging. Findings highlight the importance of considering positive and negative aspects of social relationships to understand the consequences of social connections for cellular aging in diverse populations.

%B Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences %8 2017 May 09 %G eng %1 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28486613?dopt=Abstract %R 10.1093/geronb/gbx049 %0 Journal Article %J Journal of Aging and Health %D 2019 %T Spousal breadwinning across 30 years of marriage and husbands' health: A gendered life course stress approach. %A Kristen W Springer %A Lee, Chioun %A Deborah Carr %K Gender Differences %K Income %K Marriage %K Women and Minorities %X

OBJECTIVE: Wives increasingly outearn their husbands, and gender relations theory suggests this arrangement may undermine men's well-being. We explore how long-term histories of spousal breadwinning may be associated with older men's self-rated mental and physical health, and risk of nine health diagnoses.

METHOD: Using 30 years of couple-level income data from the Health and Retirement Study ( n = 1,095 couples), we use latent class analyses to identify six classes that differ with respect to the timing and level of wife breadwinning. We link these classes to older husbands' later-life health.

RESULTS: Classes that transitioned from husband breadwinning to wife breadwinning in early or later adulthood were associated with husbands' poorer overall physical health and risk of cardiometabolic and stress-related diseases. Patterns persist net of sociodemographics, depressive symptoms, health behaviors, and adolescent health.

DISCUSSION: Violating cultural expectations, such as the masculinity ideal of male breadwinning, is associated with older men's poorer health.

%B Journal of Aging and Health %V 31 %P 37-66 %G eng %N 1 %1 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28782397?dopt=Abstract %R 10.1177/0898264317721824 %0 Newspaper Article %B The Washington Post %D 2019 %T Women who work for a salary see slower memory decline in old age, reducing their risk of dementia, a new study suggests %A Natanson, Hannah %K Cognitive Ability %K Dementia %K Memory %K Women and Minorities %B The Washington Post %C Washington, DC %G eng %U https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/social-issues/women-who-work-for-a-salary-see-slower-memory-decline-in-old-age-reducing-their-risk-of-dementia-a-new-study-suggests/2019/07/15/c1819880-a72a-11e9-9214-246e594de5d5_story.html?utm_term=.be88fc18ce2a %0 Journal Article %J The Journal of the Economics of Ageing %D 2018 %T The aggregate implications of gender and marriage %A Borella, Margherita %A Mariacristina De Nardi %A Yang, Fang %K Employment and Labor Force %K Gender Differences %K Marriage %K Women and Minorities %X Wages, labor market participation, hours worked, and savings differ by gender and marital status. In addition, women and married people make up a large fraction of the population and of labor market participants, total hours worked, and total earnings. For the most part, macroeconomists have been ignoring women and marriage in setting up structural models and in calibrating them using data on males only. In this paper, we ask whether ignoring gender and marriage in both models and data implies that the resulting calibration matches well the key economic aggregates. We find that it does not and we ask whether there are other calibration strategies or relatively simple models of marriage that can improve the fit of the model to aggregate data. %B The Journal of the Economics of Ageing %V 11 %P 6-26 %8 05/2018 %G eng %U http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212828X16300494 %! The Journal of the Economics of Ageing %R 10.1016/j.jeoa.2017.01.005 %0 Journal Article %J Obesity Research & Clinical Practice %D 2018 %T Body mass index and mobility limitations: An analysis of middle-aged and older Black, Hispanic, and White women in the U.S. %A Sharma, Andy %K BMI %K Disabilities %K Racial/ethnic differences %K Women and Minorities %X

INTRODUCTION: While the Body Mass Index (BMI) did not change significantly for men from 2005 to 2014 in the United States, women exhibited an upward linear trend. Hispanic and Black women, in particular, showed a dramatic increase. Therefore, the objective of this study was to examine the association between BMI and mobility limitations for non-institutionalised middle-aged and older Black, Hispanic, and White women.

METHODS: The International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health model was applied to a sample of 2865 Black, 1846 Hispanic, and 9721 White women categorised as middle-aged and older (i.e., at least 50 years of age) from the 2010 and 2014 Rand Health and Retirement Study. A random effects ordered logit was employed.

RESULTS: After accounting for personal/activity characteristics, the analyses revealed Black women with greater BMI were associated with a higher likelihood for mobility limitations with an odds ratio of 1.11 [1.06-1.16, 95% CI]. A significant association was also found for Hispanic women with an odds ratio of 1.16 [1.11-1.23, 95% CI] and White women with an odds ratio of 1.16 [1.13-1.19, 95% CI]. Even after accounting for the possibility of endogeneity, BMI remained robust.

CONCLUSION: Higher-levels of BMI were associated with an increased probability for mobility limitations for Black, Hispanic, and White middle-aged and older women. Those with a vigorous exercise regimen were less likely to be in this category across all ranges of BMI. These results are useful for prioritising minority health policy, particularly given the limited amount of existing research in this specific area.

%B Obesity Research & Clinical Practice %V 12 %P 547-554 %G eng %N 6 %1 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29921542?dopt=Abstract %R 10.1016/j.orcp.2018.06.001 %0 Journal Article %J Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs %D 2018 %T Couples' Alcohol Use in Middle and Later Life: Stability and Mutual Influence. %A Courtney A Polenick %A Kira S. Birditt %A Frederic C. Blow %K Alcohol Consumption %K Couples %K Women and Minorities %X

OBJECTIVE: Wives and husbands may influence one another's alcohol use, but little is known about within-couple patterns of alcohol consumption over time during midlife and later life. Drawing from a nationally representative U.S. sample of middle-aged and older married couples, we examined individual stability and partner influence in alcohol use across a 16-year period.

METHOD: The analytic sample comprised 1,257 married couples age 40 and older who completed nine waves of the Health and Retirement Study (1996-2012). Dyadic multilevel models were estimated to simultaneously examine the stability of one's own alcohol use (number of drinks per occasion and per week) over time as well as whether partner drinking predicted subsequent alcohol use within couples. Models controlled for marital duration.

RESULTS: Wives' and husbands' own prior alcohol use positively predicted alcohol use across waves, demonstrating individual stability in drinking patterns. Partners' alcohol use also positively predicted wives' and husbands' subsequent alcohol use, revealing partner influence in drinking patterns. Both stability and influence effects were stronger for husbands than for wives.

CONCLUSIONS: This study provides evidence of stability and mutual influence in long-term patterns of alcohol use within mid- and late-life married couples. Findings highlight the interdependence between spouses and indicate that partners' drinking should be considered when examining men's and women's alcohol use over time.

%B Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs %V 79 %P 111-118 %G eng %U 10.15288/jsad.2018.79.111 %N 1 %1 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29227239?dopt=Abstract %R http://dx.doi.org/10.15288/jsad.2018.79.111 %0 Journal Article %J Psychoneuroendocrinology %D 2018 %T Gender differences in longitudinal relationships between depression and anxiety symptoms and inflammation in the Health and Retirement Study. %A Andrea N Niles %A Smirnova, Mariya %A Joy E. Lin %A Aoife O'Donovan %K Anxiety %K Biomarkers %K C-reactive protein %K Depressive symptoms %K Gender Differences %K Women and Minorities %X Depression and anxiety have been linked to elevated inflammation in cross-sectional and longitudinal studies. Yet, in terms of longitudinal studies, findings are inconsistent regarding whether depression predicts worsening inflammation or vice versa, and anxiety has been infrequently examined. Further, we know little about longitudinal relationships between inflammation and specific symptom profiles of depression and anxiety. The current study examined longitudinal associations between depression and anxiety symptoms and inflammation in 13,775 people (59% women, average age = 67) participating in the Health and Retirement Study - a population-based study focused on older adults. High sensitivity C-reactive protein and depression and anxiety symptoms were measured at two time-points separated by four years. We used cross-lagged panel models to examine bidirectional relationships, and tested interactions with gender. We found that depressive symptoms predicted increasing inflammation for men, but not for women, and inflammation predicted worsening depression for women, but not for men. These gender differences were driven by somatic symptoms. Specifically, somatic symptoms predicted increasing inflammation for men only and were predicted by inflammation for women only. Regardless of gender, inflammation predicted worsening dysphoric symptoms of depression, and lack of positive affect predicted increasing inflammation over time. Anxiety was not associated with inflammation longitudinally. These findings indicate bidirectional relationships between depressive symptoms and inflammation, but not between anxiety symptoms and inflammation, and that the direction of these effects may differ by gender and type of depressive symptom. %B Psychoneuroendocrinology %V 95 %P 149-157 %G eng %1 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29864671?dopt=Abstract %R 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2018.05.035 %0 Journal Article %J Generations - Journal of the American Society on Aging %D 2018 %T Intersectionality and Stratification in the Labor Market %A Moore, Kyle K. %A Teresa Ghilarducci %K Employment and Labor Force %K Racial/ethnic differences %K Women and Minorities %X Since the 1990s, women have made gains in education and work, but gender and racial stratification in health, work, and retirement create disparities in aging. This article explores the changing social and economic status of mature men, women, and women of color through a review of the health and aging literature, and analysis of the Health and Retirement Study. The article analyzes the ways women-black women in particular-are disadvantaged by racialized patriarchy, leading to strong dependence on government old-age programs. %B Generations - Journal of the American Society on Aging %V 42 %P 34-40 %G eng %U https://apps.webofknowledge.com/InboundService.do?customersID=Alerting&mode=FullRecord&IsProductCode=Yes&product=WOS&Init=Yes&Func=Frame&DestFail=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.webofknowledge.com&action=retrieve&SrcApp=Alerting&SrcAuth=Alerting&SID=8CK2zTEgfWYafamBP8q& %N 2 %0 Journal Article %J Journal of Gerontological Social Work %D 2018 %T Race and income disparities in disaster preparedness in old age %A Cox, Kate %A BoRin Kim %K Emergency preparedness %K Income %K Racial/ethnic differences %K Women and Minorities %X This study investigated to what extent income status and race/ethnicity in old age interplayed with disaster preparedness. Data came from the 2010 Health and Retirement Study, a nationally representative panel survey of older Americans over 51 years old. Our sample was restricted to respondents who participated in a special survey about disaster preparedness (N=1,711). Disaster preparedness was measured as a score, which includes 13 variables. Race/ethnicity was categorized by White, Black, and Hispanic. Low income was defined as below 300% of the federal poverty line. OLS regression was used to examine the main and interaction effects of race/ethnicity and lower income status on disaster preparedness scores. We found that older adults in lower income status had lower preparedness level than those in higher income (Coef. =-0.318, p<.01). Hispanics tend to be less prepared compared to White and Blacks (Coef. =-0.608, p<.001). Preparedness of Black elders was not significantly different from that of Whites. However, interestingly, Black elders in lower income status were significantly less prepared for disaster than other groups (Coef. =- 0.622, p<.05). This study identified vulnerable subgroups of older adults for disaster preparedness and suggests that preparedness programs should target minority and low income elders. %B Journal of Gerontological Social Work %V 61 %P 719-734 %G eng %U https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01634372.2018.1489929https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/01634372.2018.1489929 %N 7 %! Journal of Gerontological Social Work %R 10.1080/01634372.2018.1489929 %0 Journal Article %J Social Forces %D 2018 %T Racial Stratification, Immigration, and Health Inequality: A Life Course-Intersectional Approach %A Tyson H Brown %K Health inequalities %K Immigration %K Racial/ethnic differences %K Women and Minorities %X While health inequalities related to race/ethnicity, nativity, and age are well documented, it remains unclear how these axes of stratification combine to shape health trajectories, especially in middle and late life. This study addresses gaps in the literature by drawing on both life course and intersectionality perspectives to understand inequalities in morbidity trajectories. Using growth curve models applied to data from the Health and Retirement Study, I examine the life course patterning of health inequalities among US-and foreign-born non-Hispanic whites, non-Hispanic blacks, and Mexican Americans between the ages of 51 and 80 (N = 16,265). Findings are consistent with premature aging and cumulative disadvantage processes: US-and foreign-born blacks and Mexican Americans experience earlier health deterioration than US-born whites, and they also tend to exhibit steeper health declines with age. Moreover, contrary to the common assumption of monolithic healthy immigrant and erosion processes, results show that these processes are contingent on both race/ethnicity and age: compared with US-born whites, white immigrants have a persistent health advantage, while black and Mexican American immigrants experience a health disadvantage that increases with age. These results suggest that among nonwhite immigrants, the immigrant health advantage may be offset by cumulative exposure to racialized immigrant incorporation processes. A wide array of health-related factors including socioeconomic resources, health behaviors, and medical care account for some, but not all, group differences in morbidity trajectories. Findings highlight the utility of life course and intersectionality perspectives for understanding health inequalities. %B Social Forces %V 96 %P 1507 - 1540 %G eng %U https://academic.oup.com/sf/article/96/4/1507/4957045http://academic.oup.com/sf/article-pdf/96/4/1507/24812391/soy013.pdf %N 4 %R 10.1093/sf/soy013 %0 Journal Article %J Gerontologist %D 2018 %T Retirement sequences of older Americans: Moderately destandardized and highly stratified across gender, class, and race. %A Calvo, Esteban %A Madero-Cabib, Ignacio %A Ursula M. Staudinger %K Gender Differences %K Racial/ethnic differences %K Retirement Planning and Satisfaction %K Women and Minorities %X

Purpose of the Study: A destandardization of labor-force patterns revolving around retirement has been observed in recent literature. It is unclear, however, to which degree and of which kind. This study looked at sequences rather than individual statuses or transitions and argued that differentiating older Americans' retirement sequences by type, order, and timing and considering gender, class, and race differences yields a less destandardized picture.

Design and Methods: Sequence analysis was employed to analyze panel data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) for 7,881 individuals observed 6 consecutive times between ages 60-61 and 70-71.

Results: As expected, types of retirement sequences were identified that cannot be subsumed under the conventional model of complete retirement from full-time employment around age 65. However, these retirement sequences were not entirely destandardized, as some irreversibility and age-grading persisted. Further, the degree of destandardization varied along gender, class, and race. Unconventional sequences were archetypal for middle-level educated individuals and Blacks. Also, sequences for women and individuals with lower education showed more unemployment and part-time jobs, and less age-grading.

Implications: A sequence-analytic approach that models group differences uncovers misjudgments about the degree of destandardization of retirement sequences. When a continuous process is represented as individual transitions, the overall pattern of retirement sequences gets lost and appears destandardized. These patterns get further complicated by differences in social structures by gender, class, and race in ways that seem to reproduce advantages that men, more highly educated individuals, and Whites enjoy in numerous areas over the life course.

%B Gerontologist %V 58 %P 1166-1176 %G eng %N 6 %1 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28586409?dopt=Abstract %R 10.1093/geront/gnx052 %0 Report %D 2018 %T The Return to Work and Women’s Employment Decisions %A Nicole Maestas %K Bridge employment %K Employment and Labor Force %K Retirement Planning and Satisfaction %K Women and Minorities %X It is well documented that individuals in couples tend to retire around the same time. But because women tend to marry older men, this means many married women retire at younger ages than their husbands. This fact is somewhat at odds with lifecycle theory that suggests women might otherwise retire at later ages than men because they have longer life expectancies, and often have had shorter careers on account of childrearing. As a result, the opportunity cost of retirement-in terms of foregone potential earnings and accruals to Social Security wealth-may be larger for married women than for their husbands. Using the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), I find evidence that the returns to additional work beyond mid-life are greater for married women than for married men. The potential gain in Social Security wealth alone is enough to place married women on nearly equal footing with married men in terms of Social Security wealth at age 70. %B NBER Working Paper Series %I National Bureau of Economic Research %C Cambridge, MA %8 03/2018 %G eng %U http://www.nber.org/papers/w24429.pdf %R 10.3386/w24429 %0 Web Page %D 2018 %T Why Women Should Keep Working After Their Husbands Retire %A Leubsdorf, Ben %K News %K Retirement Planning and Satisfaction %K Women and Minorities %B The Wall Street Journal %I The Wall Street Journal %C New York City %V 2018 %G eng %U https://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2018/04/03/why-women-should-keep-working-after-their-husbands-retire/ %0 Journal Article %J Research on Aging %D 2017 %T Biopsychosocial Predictors of Fall Events Among Older African Americans. %A Emily J Nicklett %A Taylor, Robert Joseph %A Rostant, Ola %A Kimson E Johnson %A Evans, Linnea %K Falls %K Health Shocks %K Older Adults %K Racial/ethnic differences %K Women and Minorities %X This study identifies risk and protective factors for falls among older, community-dwelling African Americans. Drawing upon the biopsychosocial perspective, we conducted a series of sex- and age-adjusted multinomial logistic regression analyses to identify the correlates of fall events among older African Americans. Our sample consisted of 1,442 community-dwelling African Americans aged 65 and older, participating in the 2010-2012 rounds of the Health and Retirement Study. Biophysical characteristics associated with greater relative risk of experiencing single and/or multiple falls included greater functional limitations, poorer self-rated health, poorer self-rated vision, chronic illnesses (high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, lung disease, heart problems, stroke, and arthritis), greater chronic illness comorbidity, older age, and female sex. Physical activity was negatively associated with recurrent falls. Among the examined psychosocial characteristics, greater depressive symptoms were associated with greater relative risk of experiencing single and multiple fall events. Implications for clinicians and future studies are discussed. %B Research on Aging %V 39 %P 501-525 %8 04/2017 %G eng %N 4 %R 10.1177/0164027516651974 %0 Government Document %D 2017 %T Changes in the life cycle of women's employment %A Richard Works %K Employment and Labor Force %K Women and Minorities %X According to "The new lifecycle of women's employment: disappearing humps, sagging middles, expanding tops" (National Bureau of Economic Research working paper no. 22913, December 2016) by Claudia Goldin and Joshua Mitchell, the increased employment of older women is related to a higher frequency of continuous work experience during their career. %I Monthly Labor Review %P 1-2 %G eng %U http://proxy.lib.umich.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/1879041784?accountid=14667 %N March 2017 %0 Journal Article %J Journal of Labor Research %D 2017 %T Cohort Differences in Joint Retirement: Evidence from the Health and Retirement Study %A Bhatt, Vipul %K Couples %K Gender Differences %K Retirement Planning and Satisfaction %K Women and Minorities %X The dramatic rise and sustained participation of recent cohorts of women in the labor force has coincided with their increased attachment to the labor market. In this paper we use twelve waves of the Health and Retirement Study (1992-2014) and investigate how married couples belonging to more recent birth cohorts compare with their predecessors in terms of coordinating their retirement decisions. Using a multinomial logit model we estimate the labor force dynamics of dual-earner married couples and find that couples with wives belonging to more recent birth cohorts are less likely to jointly exit the labor force. Further, this declining cohort trend in joint retirement can only partially be explained by commonly observed socio-economic, employment, and health related factors that affect retirement decisions, suggesting an important role for cohort changes in preferences and social norms such as preference for work and attitudes toward gender roles. %B Journal of Labor Research %V 38 %P 475-495 %G eng %U http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s12122-017-9258-3http://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s12122-017-9258-3.pdfhttp://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12122-017-9258-3/fulltext.htmlhttp://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s12122-017-9258-3.pdf %N 4 %! J Labor Res %R 10.1007/s12122-017-9258-3 %0 Journal Article %J Health Care for Women International %D 2017 %T Cultural and emotional determinants of cervical cancer screening among older Hispanic women %A Tamara J. Cadet %A Shanna Lynn Burke %A Stewart, Kathleen %A Howard, Tenial %A Schonberg, Mara %K Cancer screenings %K Depressive symptoms %K Hispanics %K Women and Minorities %X Older adults are at highest risk of cancer and yet have the lowest rates of cancer screening participation. Older minority adults bear the burden of cancer screening disparities leading to late stage cancer diagnoses. This investigation, utilization data from the 2008 wave of the Health and Retirement study examined the cultural and emotional factors thought to influence cervical cancer screening among older Hispanic women. We utilized logistic regression models to conduct the analyses. Findings indicate that the emotional factors were not significant but the cultural factor, time orientation was a significant predictor for older Hispanics' cervical cancer screening behaviors. %B Health Care for Women International %V 38 %P 1289-1312 %G eng %U https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/07399332.2017.1364740https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/07399332.2017.1364740 %N 12 %! Health Care for Women International %R 10.1080/07399332.2017.1364740 %0 Journal Article %J The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences %D 2017 %T Disability rises gradually for a cohort of older Americans %A Verbrugge, Lois M. %A Dustin C. Brown %A Zajacova, Anna %K Disabilities %K Mortality %K Women and Minorities %X Objectives: We study changes in average disability over nearly two decades for a large epidemiological cohort of older Americans. As some people exit by mortality, do average disability levels for the living cohort rise rapidly, rise gradually, stay steady, or decline? Method: Data are from the Study of Asset and Health Dynamics Among the Oldest Old (AHEAD) cohort for 1993-2010. Cohort members are aged 70+ in 1993 (mean = 77.5 years), and the survivors are aged 87+ in 2010 (mean = 90.2 years). Personal care disability (activities of daily living), household management disability (instrumental activities of daily living), and physical limitations are studied. We study average disability for the living cohort over time and the disability histories for decedent and survivor groups. Results: Average disability rises gradually over time for the living cohort. Earlier decedent groups have higher average disability than later ones. Near death, disability rises sharply for all decedent groups. Longer surviving groups have less average disability, and slower disability increases, than shorter surviving groups. All results are repeated for younger cohort members (baseline age = 70-79 years), older ones (baseline age = 80+ years), women, and men. Discussion: As a cohort ages, average disability among living members increases gradually, signaling behavioral, psychological, and biological fitness in very old persons. %B The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences %V 72 %P 151-161 %G eng %U https://academic.oup.com/psychsocgerontology/article-lookup/doi/10.1093/geronb/gbw002https://academic.oup.com/psychsocgerontology/article/2632051/Disability-Rises-Gradually-for-a-Cohort-of-Older %N 1 %! GERONB %R 10.1093/geronb/gbw002 %0 Journal Article %J Journal of Pension Economics and Finance %D 2017 %T Early claiming of higher-earning husbands, the survivor benefit, and the incidence of poverty among recent widows %A Diebold, Jeffrey %A Jeremy G. Moulton %A John C. Scott %K Bereavement %K Social Security %K Widowhood %K Women and Minorities %X Social Security provides survivor benefits to lower-earning spouses of deceased workers entitled to a retirement benefit. The value of the survivor benefit depends on a number of factors including the deceased worker's claim age. We use the Health and Retirement Study and a discrete time hazard model to analyze how the claim age of married men influences the likelihood that their spouse will enter poverty in widowhood. We find that delayed claiming is associated with reduction in a widow's poverty risk. The magnitude of this relationship varies significantly with the claim age, Social Security dependence, and survivor benefit dependence. %B Journal of Pension Economics and Finance %V 16 %P 485-508 %G eng %U https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S1474747215000438/type/journal_articlehttps://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S1474747215000438 %N 4 %! Journal of Pension Economics and Finance %R 10.1017/S1474747215000438 %0 Thesis %B Latin American Studies, Clinical Psychology %D 2017 %T The effects of microaggressions on blood pressure in the Latino population %A Estrada, Samia %K Blood pressure %K Latino population %K Microaggressions %K Women and Minorities %X Racial microaggressions are subtle instances of racism that chronically remind the Latino population of their foreigner status (Derald Wing Sue et al., 2007). Although microaggressions have been found to cause an increase in stress in the Latino population, and chronic stress is one possible precursor to elevated blood pressure, there is a lack of research focusing on how microaggressions and blood pressure relate to each other in the Latino population. The present study examined the relationship between microaggressions, stress and blood pressure in the Latino population using a correlational research design. Eighty-six Latino immigrant participants responded to the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), the Racial Microaggression Scale (RMAS), and had their blood pressure taken. The results suggest that stress increases as microaggressions increase, and blood pressure increases as stress increases. Two of the microaggression scales, Criminality Distress Scale and Foreigner/Not Belonging Distress Scale, were correlated with diastolic blood pressure. This is an important finding which suggests that Latinos who experience distress of microaggressions which make them feel like a foreigner based on their visible ethnic/minority features and those who experience the distress caused by the fear of being perceived to be a criminal tend to have negative effects on their blood pressure. Based on the frequency of the microaggressions that Latinos experience, this could be very detrimental to their health. Additionally, the finding that microaggressions elevated diastolic blood pressure brings in to question if the effects of microaggressions, due to their chronicity, can be more harmful to cardiovascular health than once believed. %B Latin American Studies, Clinical Psychology %I Alliant International University %C Sacremento, CA %V Ph.D. %P 108 %@ 9781339870571 %G eng %U http://proxy.lib.umich.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/1814766088?accountid=14667 %9 Dissertation %0 Journal Article %J Family and Consumer Sciences Research Journal %D 2017 %T Gender and risk-bearing portfolio choices among older single workers: The role of human capital %A Lee, Yoon G. %A Kim, Sungsook %K Gender Differences %K Singles %K Women and Minorities %X Using data from the 2012 Health and Retirement Study, this study examined whether gender was associated with risk bearing in portfolio choices among single workers nearing retirement. Also, the study investigated how human capital was associated with the worker's allocation of risk-bearing assets by gender. The results of logistic regression revealed that while gender was statistically significant, education level was also a significant predictor of holding risky assets. Since differences in human capital explained the difference in portfolio choices for male and female workers, financial educators should consider this finding as they attempt to help the least financially savvy populations with financial education programs. %B Family and Consumer Sciences Research Journal %V 45 %P 406-421 %8 Jan-06-2017 %G eng %U http://doi.wiley.com/10.1111/fcsr.12219http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/wol1/doi/10.1111/fcsr.12219/fullpdfhttps://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Ffcsr.12219 %N 4 %! Fam Consum Sci Res J %R 10.1111/fcsr.12219 %0 Journal Article %J Journal of the American Geriatrics Society %D 2017 %T The Hispanic paradox: Race/ethnicity and nativity, immigrant enclave residence and cognitive impairment among older US adults. %A Margaret M Weden %A Jeremy Miles %A Esther M Friedman %A José J Escarce %A Peterson, Christine %A Kenneth M. Langa %A Regina A Shih %K Cognitive Ability %K Racial/ethnic differences %K Socioeconomic factors %K Women and Minorities %X Hispanics, and particularly foreign-born Mexican Americans, have been shown to fare better across a range of health outcomes than might be expected given the generally higher levels of socioeconomic disadvantage in this population, a phenomena termed the "Hispanic Paradox". Previous research on social disparities in cognitive aging, however, has been unable to address both race/ethnicity and nativity (REN) in a nationally-representative sample of US adults leaving unanswered questions about potentially "paradoxical" advantages of Mexican ethnic-origins and the role of nativity, socioeconomic status (SES), and enclave residence. We employ biennial assessments of cognitive functioning to study prevalent and incident cognitive impairment (CI) within the three largest US REN groups: US-born non-Hispanic whites (US-NHW), US-born non-Hispanic blacks (US-NHB), US-born Mexican Americans (US-MA), and foreign-born Mexican Americans (FB-MA). Data come from a nationally-representative sample of community-dwelling older adults in the Health and Retirement Study linked with the 2000 Census and followed over 10 years (N = 8,433). Large disadvantages in prevalent and incident CI were observed for all REN minorities respective to US-born non-Hispanic whites. Individual and neighborhood SES accounted substantially for these disadvantages and revealed an immigrant advantage: FB-MA odds of prevalent CI were about half those of US-NHW and hazards of incident CI were about half those of US-MA. Residence in an immigrant enclave was protective of prevalent CI among FB-MA. The findings illuminate important directions for research into the sources of cognitive risk and resilience and provide guidance about CI screening within the increasingly diverse aging US population. %B Journal of the American Geriatrics Society %V 65 %P 1085-1091 %G eng %N 5 %R 10.1111/jgs.14806 %0 Report %D 2017 %T How Much Does Motherhood Cost Women in Social Security Benefits? %A Matthew S. Rutledge %A Alice Zulkarnain %A Sara Ellen King %K Labor force participation %K Motherhood %K Social Security %K Women and Minorities %X The increase in female labor force participation coupled with a higher number of women reaching retirement unmarried has increased the share of women claiming Social Security benefits earned through their own job histories. But they still bear the lion’s share of caregiving responsibilities, and the previous literature has provided clear evidence that motherhood reduces earnings during the childbearing and child-rearing years. What remains understudied is the extent to which mothers face lower lifetime earnings and, consequently, lower Social Security income. This paper uses the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) linked to administrative earnings records to answer three questions. First, how much less do mothers earn over their careers compared to childless women, and how much less do they earn for each additional child? Second, how do Social Security benefits differ between mothers and non-mothers? Third, how does each of the existing elements of the Social Security system that indirectly help mothers – namely, spousal benefits and the progressivity of the benefit formula – contribute to reducing the motherhood penalty? %B Working Papers %I Center for Retirement Research at Boston College %C Boston, MA %P 2-22 %8 10/2017 %G eng %U http://crr.bc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/wp_2017-14.pdf %0 Journal Article %J Ageing and Society %D 2017 %T Lifecourse transitions, gender and drinking in later life %A Holdsworth, Clare %A Frisher, Martin %A Mendoca, Marina %A de Olivieria, Cesar %A Pikhart, Hynek %A Shelton, Nicola %K Alcohol Consumption %K Gender Differences %K Older Adults %K Women and Minorities %X Older people consume less alcohol than any other adult age group. However, in recent years survey data on alcohol consumption in the United Kingdom have shown that while younger age groups have experienced a decline in alcohol consumption, drinking behaviours among the elderly have not reduced in the same way. This paper uses data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing to analyse both the frequency and quantity of older adult's alcohol consumption using a lifecourse approach over a ten-year period. Overall drinking declined over time and the analysis examined how socio-economic characteristics, partnership, employment and health statuses were associated with differences in drinking behaviours and how these changed over time. Higher wealth and level of education were associated with drinking more and drinking more frequently for men and women. Poorer self-rated health was associated with less frequent consumption and older people with poor and deteriorating health reported a steeper decline in the frequency of alcohol consumption over time. Men who were not in a partnership drank more than other men. For women, loss of a partner was associated with a steeper decline in drinking behaviours. These findings have implications for programmes to promote responsible drinking among older adults as they suggest that, for the most part, characteristics associated with sustaining wellbeing in later life are also linked to consuming more alcohol. %B Ageing and Society %V 37 %P 462 - 494 %8 Jan-03-2017 %G eng %U https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0144686X15001178/type/journal_article %N 03 %! Ageing and Society %R 10.1017/S0144686X15001178 %0 Journal Article %J Health Psychology %D 2017 %T The link between discrimination and telomere length in African American adults. %A Daniel B Lee %A Eric S Kim %A Enrique W Neblett %K Discrimination %K Racial/ethnic differences %K Telomeres %K Women and Minorities %X

OBJECTIVE: Prior work shows that discrimination is associated with a wide array of negative health outcomes. However, the biological mechanisms through which this link occurs require more study. We evaluated the association between discrimination and leukocyte telomere length (LTL; a biological marker of systemic aging).

METHOD: Cross-sectional data were from the Health and Retirement study, a study of people aged 51+ in the United States, and included 595 African American males and females. Multiple regression analyses were used to evaluate whether discrimination was independently associated with LTL. We also considered the role of potential confounders including sociodemographic factors, health factors, depressive symptoms, and stress.

RESULTS: High discrimination was associated with shorter LTL after controlling for sociodemographic factors (b = -.034, SE = 0.14, p = .017). This association persisted in analyses that further adjusted for health factors, depressive symptoms, and stress.

CONCLUSION: Results suggest that discrimination experiences accelerate biological aging in older African American males and females, alike. This finding helps advance our understanding of how discrimination generates greater disease vulnerability and premature death in African Americans. (PsycINFO Database Record

%B Health Psychology %V 36 %P 458-467 %8 2017 May %G eng %N 5 %1 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28425738?dopt=Abstract %R 10.1037/hea0000450 %0 Newspaper Article %B The New York Times %D 2017 %T More Women in Their 60s and 70s Are Having ‘Way Too Much Fun’ to Retire %A Claire Cain Miller %K News %K Older Adults %K Retirement Planning and Satisfaction %K Women and Minorities %B The New York Times %C New York City %V February 12, 2017 %8 02/12/2017 %G eng %U https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/11/upshot/more-women-in-their-60s-and-70s-are-having-way-too-much-fun-to-retire.html?_r=0 %& A %0 Journal Article %J Journal of Ethnic & Cultural Diversity in Social Work %D 2017 %T Older Hispanic women and breast cancer screening: Do cultural factors matter? %A Tamara J. Cadet %A Bakk, Louanne %A Stewart, Kathleen %A Maramaldi, Peter %K Cancer screenings %K Hispanics %K Women and Minorities %X High morbidity and mortality cancer rates among older minority adults underscores the importance of identifying and addressing health disparities related to age and cultural factors that may influence participation in cancer screening and early detection of disease. Disparities for Hispanic women exist in part due to behavior, including lower participation in cancer screenings. Using data from the 2008 wave of the Health and Retirement Study, this study investigated the relationships among cultural factors, time orientation, and uncertainty avoidance among Hispanic women. Results indicate that time orientation and uncertainty avoidance predicted older Hispanic women’s participation in breast cancer screening services. %B Journal of Ethnic & Cultural Diversity in Social Work %V 26 %P 382-398 %G eng %U https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15313204.2017.1315627https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/15313204.2017.1315627 %N 4 %! Journal of Ethnic & Cultural Diversity in Social Work %R 10.1080/15313204.2017.1315627 %0 Journal Article %J Pain %D 2017 %T Own and partner pain intensity in older couples: longitudinal effects on depressive symptoms. %A Courtney A Polenick %A Jessica M Brooks %A Kira S. Birditt %K Chronic pain %K Depressive symptoms %K Marriage %K Women and Minorities %X Chronic pain has been linked to depression among individuals and their partners. Yet little is known about long-term mutual influences between pain intensity and depressive symptoms within couples as they age. Utilizing a nationally representative US sample of wives and husbands aged 50 and older (M = 64.45, SD = 7.85), this study explored the links between own and partner pain intensity and depressive symptoms across an 8-year period. A total of 940 heterosexual married couples drawn from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) completed interviews biennially from 2006 to 2014. Dyadic growth curve models examined mutual associations within couples and controlled for sociodemographic characteristics, length of marriage, and marital quality, along with self-rated health, number of chronic health conditions, and functional disability. For wives and husbands, their own greater baseline pain intensity was significantly linked to their own higher overall levels of depressive symptoms. Unexpectedly, wives with greater baseline pain intensity reported decreases in their depressive symptoms over time. There were also partner effects such that husbands' greater pain intensity at baseline was associated with increases in wives' depressive symptoms over time. Findings highlight the importance of considering both individual and spousal associations between pain intensity and depressive symptoms in later life. Understanding how individual and couple processes unfold may yield critical insights for the development of intervention and prevention efforts to maintain mental health among older chronic pain patients and their spouses. %B Pain %V 158 %P 1546-1553 %8 08/2017 %G eng %N 8 %1 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28489621?dopt=Abstract %R 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000000949 %0 Journal Article %J American Sociological Review %D 2017 %T Own Gender, Sibling's Gender, Parent's Gender: The Division of Elderly Parent Care among Adult Children %A Grigoryeva, Angelina %K Caregiving %K Gender Differences %K Gender Identity %K Older Adults %K Siblings %K Women and Minorities %X Research on the gender division of family labor largely focuses on housework and childcare in spousal couples. This article advances scholarship by examining the gender division of elderly parent care in sibling groups. Using the Health and Retirement Study, a nationally representative survey of elderly Americans, I find that caregiving to elderly parents varies not only by an adult child’s own gender, but also by the gender of the siblings with whom caregiving is shared and by the gender of the parent to whom care is provided. The salience of an adult child’s gender manifests in two primary ways: not only do daughters provide more care than do sons to their elderly parents, but daughters’ caregiving is also more elastic with respect to their own and their parents’ attributes than is sons’ caregiving. With respect to the gender of the siblings, sons provide relatively less care if they have sisters, whereas daughters provide relatively more care if they have brothers. With respect to the gender of the parent, sons provide relatively more care to fathers, and daughters provide relatively more care to mothers. Finally, analyses did not reveal changes over time. %B American Sociological Review %V 82 %P 116 - 146 %8 Jan-02-2017 %G eng %U http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0003122416686521 %N 1 %! American Sociological Review %R 10.1177/0003122416686521 %0 Journal Article %J Journal of Social Service Research %D 2017 %T Racial/Ethnic Inequality Among Older Workers: Focusing On Whites, Blacks, and Latinos Within the Cumulative Advantage/Disadvantage Framework %A Choi, Eunhee %A Tang, Fengyan %A Valire Carr Copeland %K Employment and Labor Force %K Racial/ethnic differences %K Women and Minorities %X The experience of older racial/ethnic minority workers may differ from that of their non-Hispanic White counterparts because of persistent racial/ethnic differences; however, our knowledge of older minority workers is fragmentary. Using the cumulative advantage/disadvantage framework, this study aimed to identify factors that explain older Americans’ labor market participation after age 65 and whether racial/ethnic differences exist among those factors. Using the 2004 and 2008 waves of the Health and Retirement Study data, racially separate analyses were performed to systematically compare factors by race. The results showed that factors influencing labor force participation after age 65 were indeed conditioned by race. Health and meaning of work significantly influenced non-Hispanic Whites, whereas home ownership increased the odds of working among non-Hispanic Blacks, and Latinos were concerned with health alone. The findings suggest that older ethnic minorities appear to experience a greater vulnerability to involuntary labor market exit—as opposed to personal preference or financial necessity. This racial/ethnic inequality should be understood not as sudden occurrences in old age, but as a by-product of the interplay between the individuals’ lifetime experiences and the social structures that impose cumulative advantages/disadvantages on them. Continued research will help reduce racial gaps in the next generation of older workers. %B Journal of Social Service Research %V 43 %P 18 - 36 %8 Mar-01-2019 %G eng %U https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01488376.2016.1235068https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/01488376.2016.1235068 %N 1 %! Journal of Social Service Research %R 10.1080/01488376.2016.1235068 %0 Web Page %D 2017 %T Why women’s money behavior should be studied separately from men %A Alicia H. Munnell %K Gender Differences %K Marriage %K Women and Minorities %B Marketwatch %I Marketwatch %C San Francisco, CA %G eng %U http://www.marketwatch.com/story/why-womens-money-behavior-should-be-studied-separately-from-men-2017-04-10 %0 Journal Article %J Social Science Research %D 2017 %T Workplace bullying, perceived job stressors, and psychological distress: Gender and race differences in the stress process %A Brandon K. Attell %A Kummerow Brown, Kiersten %A Linda A Treiber %K Employment and Labor Force %K Gender Differences %K Job stressors %K Racial/ethnic differences %K Women and Minorities %X A large body of empirical research documents the adverse mental health consequences of workplace bullying. However, less is known about gender and race differences in the processes that link workplace bullying and poor mental health. In the current study, we use structural equation modeling of survey data from the 2010 Health and Retirement Study (N = 2292) and draw on stress process theory to examine coworker support as a buffering mechanism against workplace bullying, and gender and race differences in the relationships between bullying and psychological distress. The results of the analysis indicate that coworker support serves as a protective buffer against workplace bullying, although the buffering effect is relatively small. We also find that the effects of workplace bullying more heavily impact women and persons of color. Specifically, women and African American individuals in our sample were less protected from the buffering mechanism of co-worker social support. %B Social Science Research %V 65 %P 210-221 %G eng %U https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0049089X16305087 %! Social Science Research %R 10.1016/j.ssresearch.2017.02.001 %0 Report %D 2016 %T The Aggregate Implications of Gender and Marriage %A Borella, Margherita %A Mariacristina De Nardi %A Yang, Fang %K Gender Differences %K Marriage %K Older Adults %K Retirement Planning and Satisfaction %K Women and Minorities %X Wages and life expectancy, as well as labor market outcomes, savings, and consumption, differ by gender and marital status. In this paper we compare the aggregate implications of two dynamic structural models. The first model is a standard, quantitative, life-cycle economy, in which people are only heterogenous by age and realized earnings shocks, and is calibrated using data on men, as typically done. The second model is one in which people are also heterogeneous by gender, marital status, wages, and life expectancy, and is calibrated using data for married and single men and women. We show that the standard life-cycle economy misses important aspects of aggregate savings, labor supply, earnings, and consumption. In contrast, the model with richer heterogeneity by gender, marital status, wage, and life expectancy matches the observed data well. We also show that the effects of changing life expectancy and the gender wage gap depend on marital status and gender, and that it is essential to not only model couples, but also the labor supply response of both men and women in a couple. %B NBER Working Paper Series %I National Bureau of Economic Research %C Cambridge, MA %P 1-54 %8 11/2016 %G eng %U http://www.nber.org/papers/w22817.pdf %R 10.3386/w22817 %0 Thesis %B Gerontology %D 2016 %T The Effects of Gender and Social Isolation on Depression among Older Americans %A Jennifer E. Darling %K Depressive symptoms %K Gender Differences %K Isolation %K Older Adults %K Social Relationships %K Women and Minorities %X The number of older adults is expected to increase in the near future. Since women live longer than men, women tend to have more complex social networks than men, and women report higher rates of depression than men, it is important to determine whether gender and social isolation affect the rates of depressive symptoms reported by older adults. This thesis seeks to determine the relationship between gender and social isolation and the influence of these variables on depressive symptoms in older adults using selected data from two sections of the 2012 wave of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS). Ordinary least squares (OLS) regression was performed in SPSS in order to determine the main effects relationship between the dependent variable, depression, and independent variables, gender and social isolation. Two additional models were examined to test whether social isolation had a mediating and/or moderating effect on gender’s relationship to depressive symptoms. As expected, women average more depressive symptoms than men; however, several aspects of social support, such as living with a spouse or partner, contact with children, contact with friends, and neighborhood cohesion, decreased depressive symptoms. Contact with children, contact with friends, and neighborhood cohesion moderated depressive symptoms. All five social isolation variables — living with a spouse or partner, contact with children, contact with family, contact with friends, and neighborhood cohesion — mediated depressive symptoms for gender. These results suggest that social isolation not only has a direct effect, but also moderates and mediates depressive symptoms for gender. This research supports the hypothesis that depressive symptoms are associated with gender and social isolation. %B Gerontology %I University of Central Oklahoma %V M.A. %P 49 %@ 9781339938912 %G eng %U http://proxy.lib.umich.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/1820912961?accountid=14667 %9 Thesis %0 Thesis %B Adult, Career and Higher Education %D 2016 %T Financial Literacy Continuing Professional Education Cognitive Needs Assessment for Florida Small Business Owners %A Dahmen, Pearl J. %K Cognitive Ability %K Education %K Financial literacy %K Gender Differences %K Older Adults %K Small business owners %K Women and Minorities %X The purpose of this study was to assess the financial literacy continuing profession education cognitive needs of Florida small business owners through exploring their profile. To determine the financial literacy profile, an instrument containing 18 tested knowledge and 5 self-assessed knowledge questions was created. Using a panel of experts, the instrument was developed from previously tested financial literacy questions from several sources. Data were collected from clients of the West Central Region of the Florida Small Business Development Center at the University of South Florida. The online survey completed by participants included demographic questions to provide data to profile small business owners’ financial literacy by gender, age, education level, and small business classification. The results indicated small business owners have a high financial literacy. There were significant differences found between the financial literacy of men and women. Men’s scores were higher for both tested knowledge and self-assessed knowledge. Younger small business owners scored lower than older small business owners. There were significant scoring differences between the highest and lowest levels of education. Tested scores and self-assessed scores increased with higher education levels. Pre-venture/start-up business owners scored lower than the small-medium enterprise owners. Implications included developing educational programs attentive to women small business owner’s needs, as well as newer and/or younger small business owners. %B Adult, Career and Higher Education %I University of South Florida %V Ph.D. %P 449 %@ 9781339617862 %G eng %U http://proxy.lib.umich.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/1781654615?accountid=14667 %9 Dissertation %0 Journal Article %J The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences %D 2016 %T Gender, Illness-Related Diabetes Social Support, and Glycemic Control Among Middle-Aged and Older Adults %A Mondesir, Favel L. %A White, Kellee %A Liese, Angela D. %A Alexander C McLain %K Diabetes %K Gender Differences %K Older Adults %K Social Support %K Women and Minorities %X This study examined whether the association between illness-related diabetes social support (IRDSS) and glycemic control among middle-aged and older adults is different for men and women. This cross-sectional analysis included 914 adults with diabetes who completed the Health and Retirement Study's 2003 Mail Survey on Diabetes. IRDSS is a composite score of 8 diabetes self-care measures. Hemoglobin A1c levels were obtained to measure good glycemic control (< 8.0%). Gender-stratified multivariate log-binomial regression models were used to estimate prevalence ratios and examine the association between IRDSS and glycemic control after controlling for sociodemographic, lifestyle, and clinical characteristics. The prevalence of good glycemic control was 48.9% among women and 51.1% among men. Mean composite IRDSS scores did not differ by gender. Among women, composite IRDSS was associated with adequate glycemic control (prevalence ratio: 1.06; 95% confidence interval: 1.02, 1.08), and all individual components of IRDSS, with the exception of keeping appointments, were positively associated with adequate glycemic control. No significant associations were observed in men for composite or individual components of IRDSS. Determining the gender-specific impact derived from IRDSS is a worthwhile approach to highlighting factors that differentially predict optimal glycemic control among middle-aged and older adults. %B The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences %V 71 %P 1081 - 1088 %8 May-11-2017 %G eng %U http://psychsocgerontology.oxfordjournals.org/lookup/doi/10.1093/geronb/gbv061https://academic.oup.com/psychsocgerontology/article/71/6/1081/2194711/Gender-IllnessRelated-Diabetes-Social-Support-and %N 6 %! GERONB %R 10.1093/geronb/gbv061 %0 Thesis %B Gerontology %D 2016 %T The impact of social network and neighborhood characteristics on the driving status of older adults: The moderating role of gender %A Kelli N. Barton %K Cognitive Ability %K Driving %K Functional limitations %K Gender Differences %K Older Adults %K Social media %K Social Relationships %K Women and Minorities %X Due to the automobile-dependent nature of the U.S., the rapidly growing population of older adults, and the association of several age-related impairments and unsafe driving, understanding the factors that impact changes in older adults’ driving behavior has important implications for policy and practice. Previous research has demonstrated the effect of sociodemographic characteristics and health factors on the driving status of older adults, however, the impact of broader social and environmental factors in decisions about driving is less established. The purpose of the current study is to advance understanding of the impact of the quality of social relationships as well as neighborhood social factors and physical attributes, controlling for sociodemographic and health characteristics, on the driving status of older adults. A second aim of this study is to assess the moderating role of gender in the investigated associations. Guided by the socioecological theoretical model, multinomial logistic regression analyses were conducted, using the large, nationally representative Health and Retirement Study dataset (waves 2006-2008 and 2008-2010) to investigate the predictors of changes in driving status. Results suggest that social relationship quality, particularly relationship strain, and both components of neighborhood context, social cohesion and physical disorder, impact changes in driving status among older adults. Findings also suggest that gender moderates the relationship between social and environmental context factors and older adults’ decisions about driving. Implications for policy and practice are discussed. %B Gerontology %I University of Massachusetts Boston %C Boston %V Ph.D. %P 189 %8 05/2016 %@ 9781339798707 %G eng %U http://proxy.lib.umich.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/1803936508?accountid=14667 %9 Dissertation %0 Report %D 2016 %T The New Lifecycle of Women’s Employment: Disappearing Humps, Sagging Middles, Expanding Tops %A Goldin, Claudia %A Mitchell, Joshua %K Employment and Labor Force %K Lifecycles %K Older Adults %K Retirement Planning and Satisfaction %K Women and Minorities %X A new lifecycle of women's employment emerged with cohorts born in the 1950s. For prior cohorts, lifecycle employment had a hump shape; it increased from the twenties to the forties, hit a peak and then declined starting in the fifties. The new lifecycle of employment is initially high and flat, there is a dip in the middle and a phasing out that is more prolonged than for previous cohorts. The hump is gone, the middle is a bit sagging and the top has greatly expanded. We explore the increase in cumulative work experience for women from the 1930s to the 1970s birth cohorts using the SIPP and the HRS. We investigate the changing labor force impact of a birth event across cohorts and by education and also the impact of taking leave or quitting. We find greatly increased labor force experience across cohorts, far less time out after a birth and greater labor force recovery for those who take paid or unpaid leave. Increased employment of women in their older ages is related to more continuous work experience across the lifecycle. %B NBER Working Paper Series %I National Bureau of Economic Research %C Cambridge, MA %P 1-39 %8 12/2016 %G eng %U http://www.nber.org/papers/w22913.pdf %R 10.3386/w22913 %0 Report %D 2016 %T Older Women’s Labor Market Attachment, Retirement Planning, and Household Debt %A Annamaria Lusardi %A Olivia S. Mitchell %K Older Adults %K Retirement Planning and Satisfaction %K Women and Minorities %X The goal of this paper is to ascertain whether older women’s current and anticipated future labor force patterns have changed over time, and if so, to evaluate the factors associated with longer work lives and plans to continue work at older ages. Using data from both the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) and the National Financial Capability Study (NFCS), we show that older women’s current and intended future labor force attachment patterns are changing over time. Specifically, compared to our 1992 HRS baseline, more recent cohorts of women in their 50’s and 60s’s are more likely to plan to work longer. When we explore the reasons for delayed retirement among older women, factors include education, more marital disruption, and fewer children than prior cohorts. But household finances also play a key role, in that older women today have more debt than previously and are more financially fragile than in the past. The NFCS data show that factors associated with retirement planning include having more education and greater financial literacy. Those who report excessive amounts of debt and are financially fragile are the least financially literate, had more dependent children, and experienced income shocks. Thus shocks do play a role in older women’s debt status, but it is not enough to have resources: people also need the capacity to manage those resources if they are to stay out of debt as they head into retirement. %B NBER Working Paper Series %I National Bureau of Economic Research %C Cambridge, MA %P 1-38 %8 09/2016 %G eng %U http://www.nber.org/papers/w22606.pdf %R 10.3386/w22606 %0 Journal Article %J Economics Letters %D 2016 %T Ownership of a bank account and health of older Hispanics %A Emma Aguila %A Marco Angrisani %A Blanco, Luisa R. %K Cross-National %K Finances %K Healthcare %K Older Adults %K Women and Minorities %X We study health effects of financial inclusion, particularly ownership of a bank account of older minorities, with focus on Hispanics. Using data from the Health and Retirement Study from 2000 to 2012, we find that, for Hispanics, being banked has a positive effect on mental health but is not associated with effects on physical health. Mental health benefits are likely to be larger for those who face greater hurdles to access formal financial institutions. Hispanics in less well-off neighborhoods and with below-median wealth appear to experience the greatest mental-health benefits associated with ownership of a bank account. %B Economics Letters %I 144 %V 144 %P 41-44 %G eng %U http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0165176516301239 %R 10.1016/j.econlet.2016.04.013 %0 Journal Article %J The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences %D 2016 %T Relationship Status and Long-Term Care Facility Use in Later Life %A Thomeer, Mieke Beth %A Mudrazija, Stipica %A Jacqueline L. Angel %K Demographics %K Healthcare %K Women and Minorities %X Objectives: Most older adults prefer to age in place and avoid formal long-term care. Yet demographic shifts, including population aging and an increasing prevalence of remarried and unmarried older adults, could undermine these goals, making it important to consider carefully how and why relationship status relates to long-term care risk.Method: We fit hazard models to a sample of adults aged 65 and older from eight waves (1998 2012) of the Health and Retirement Study (N = 21,564). We consider risk of any long-term care facility admission, as well as risk of long-duration stays.Results: Widowed, divorced, and never married adults have the highest risks of long-term care admission. Remarried and partnered adults have similar risks of long-term care admission as continuously married adults. Relationship status is more important for men than for women, especially when considering long-duration stays. Relationship status is also more significant for non-Hispanic White and Hispanic adults compared with non-Hispanic Black adults. Economic resources and, to some extent, social ties partially explain the association between relationship status and long-term care use.Discussion: By addressing the prohibitive costs of long-term care services which enable aging in place (e.g., home health care), relationship status disparities in long-term care may be reduced. Future studies should consider the link between long-term care facility use and relationship status in future cohorts as well as examine how relationship status structures access to a range of long-term care options. %B The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences %V 71 %P 711-723 %G eng %U http://psychsocgerontology.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2015/11/16/geronb.gbv106.abstract %N 4 %4 Family sociology/Gender/Health services use/Longitudinal methods/Long-term care/Minority aging/RACE AND ETHNICITY/Hispanic %$ 999999 %& 711 %R 10.1093/geronb/gbv106 %0 Report %D 2016 %T Understanding why black women are not working longer %A Joanna N Lahey %K Employment and Labor Force %K Older Adults %K Racial/ethnic differences %K Retirement Planning and Satisfaction %K Women and Minorities %X Black women in current cohorts ages 50 to 72 years have lower employment than similar white women, despite having had higher employment when they were middle-aged and younger. Earlier cohorts of older black women also worked more than their white counterparts. Although it is not surprising that white women's employment should catch up to that of black women given trends in increasing female labor force participation, it is surprising that it should surpass that of black women. This chapter discusses factors that contribute to this differential change over time. Changes in education, marital status, home-ownership, welfare, wealth, and cognition cannot explain this trend, whereas changes in occupation, industry, health, and gross motor functioning may explain some of the trend. %B NBER Working Paper Series %I National Bureau of Economic Research %C Cambridge, MA %P 1-38 %G eng %U http://www.nber.org/papers/w22680.pdf %R 10.3386/w22680 %0 Journal Article %J Educational Gerontology %D 2016 %T What about African American Older Women and Depressive Symptoms? %A Tamika C. Baldwin %A Halaevalu F. Ofaheng Vakalahi %A Anderson, Brian %K Adult children %K Health Conditions and Status %K Women and Minorities %X Depression is a major problem among African American older women; however, they also tend to be understudied as members of a multiple minority and oppressed group. As matriarchs and grandmothers in their families and communities, depression often emerges and becomes a detrimental problem for these older African American women. This study, a secondary data analysis, utilized the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) 2010 database to examine depression among older African American women. This article discusses the joint impact of age, social support, religion, caregiving, and physical health on depression among older community dwelling African American women. Findings indicate that age, physical health, and marital status as an aspect of social support were significant predictors of whether or not an older African American woman had ever had depression and whether or not she felt depressed in the past year. Receiving help from relatives as an aspect of social support also remained significant for participants who were feeling depressed in the past year. Implications for research, theory, and policy are offered. %B Educational Gerontology %I 42 %V 42 %P 310-320 %G eng %U http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03601277.2015.1121749 %N 5 %4 African American/women/aging/depression/older community dwellers/Social Support %$ 999999 %R 10.1080/03601277.2015.1121749 %0 Newspaper Article %B The Wall Street Journal %D 2016 %T Why Boomer Women Are Worse Off Financially Than Their Predecessors %A Olivia S. Mitchell %K Financial literacy %K Older Adults %K Wealth management %K Women and Minorities %B The Wall Street Journal %8 09/12/2016 %G eng %U http://blogs.wsj.com/experts/2016/09/11/why-boomer-women-are-worse-off-financially-than-their-predecessors/ %0 Journal Article %J Journal of Public Economics %D 2015 %T Asset accumulation and labor force participation of disability insurance applicants %A Shu, Pian %K Consumption and Savings %K Disabilities %K Employment and Labor Force %K Health Conditions and Status %K Net Worth and Assets %K Other %K Social Security %K Women and Minorities %X This paper provides empirical evidence of the existence of forward-looking asset-accumulation behavior among disability-insurance applicants, previously examined only in the theoretical literature. Using panel data from the RAND Health and Retirement Study, I show that rejected applicants for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) possess significantly more assets than accepted applicants immediately prior to application and exhibit lower attachment to the labor force. These empirical results are consistent with the theoretical prediction in Diamond and Mirrlees (1978) and Golosov and Tsyvinski (2006) that certain individuals with high unwillingness to work maximize utility by planning in advance for their future disability insurance application. Because the existing empirical literature on disability insurance does not account for this intertemporal channel, it may underestimate the total work-disincentive effect of SSDI. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. %B Journal of Public Economics %I 129 %V 129 %P 26-40 %G eng %4 Asset accumulation/Disability insurance/Labor force participation/disability insurance/Asset accumulation/Disability/Disability/Economics of the Elderly,/Economics of the Handicapped/Non-labor Market Discrimination/Social Security/Health Behavior/Participation/Labor supply %$ 999999 %R 10.1016/j.jpubeco.2015.06.002 %0 Report %D 2015 %T Cigarette Taxes and Older Adult Smoking: Evidence from the Health and Retirement Study %A Johanna Catherine Maclean %A Asia Sikora Kessler %A Donald S. Kenkel %A Department of Economics %K Consumption and Savings %K Demographics %K Employment and Labor Force %K Health Conditions and Status %K Public Policy %K Women and Minorities %X In this study we use the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) to test whether older adult smokers, defined as those 50 years and older, respond to cigarette tax increases. Our preferred specifications show that older adult smokers respond modestly to tax increases: a 1.00 (131.6 ) tax increase leads to a 3.8 to 5.2 reduction in cigarettes smoked per day (implied tax elasticity = -0.03 to -0.04). We identify heterogeneity in tax-elasticity across demographic groups as defined by sex, race/ethnicity, education, and marital status, and by smoking intensity and level of addictive stock. These findings have implications for public health policy implementation in an aging population. %I Temple University %G eng %U http://www.cla.temple.edu/RePEc/documents/DETU_15_02.pdf %4 smoking/cigarette taxes/older adults/Health Status/Economics of the Elderly/Economics of the Handicapped/Non-labor Market Discrimination/socioeconomic Differences %$ 999999 %0 Conference Paper %B 17th Annual Joint Meeting of the Retirement Research Consortium %D 2015 %T The Comprehensive Wealth of Immigrants and Natives %A Love, David A. %A Lucie Schmidt %K Immigrants %K Income %K Older Adults %K Wealth %K Women and Minorities %X The 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act had a profound impact on the demographic and skill composition of immigrants arriving in the U.S. A large literature has investigated the relative earnings of immigrants and natives, but much less is known about relative wealth accumulation and the preparation of immigrants for retirement. This paper compares the retirement preparation of older immigrants to that of native-born households using an annualized comprehensive measure of available resources. We find that immigrants have less wealth overall, but that they appear to be drawing down resources at a slower rate. We attempt to make sense of the trends in annualized wealth with the help of a lifecycle framework that incorporates uncertain longevity, bequests, risk in retirement resources, as well as endogenous housing wealth. Simulations from the model indicate that it is difficult to match the observed patterns in annualized wealth without the combination of both an explicit bequest motive and an explicit treatment of housing choice. These patterns mask a good deal of heterogeneity, however, in terms of socioeconomic and demographic characteristics. Some of the largest differences within immigrants occur along the margins of race and ethnicity, as well as the number of years since arrival. The evidence suggests that the typical immigrant is relatively well situated in retirement, but that more recent immigrants have low levels of total resources and are likely to have difficulty maintaining adequate levels of spending in retirement. %B 17th Annual Joint Meeting of the Retirement Research Consortium %I NBER %C Washington, DC %G eng %U https://www.nber.org/programs/ag/rrc/rrc2015/papers/4.2%20-%20Love,%20Schmidt.pdf %0 Journal Article %J Journal of Aging and Health %D 2015 %T Depressive Symptoms and Disability Risk Among Older White and Latino Adults by Nativity Status %A Mary E Bowen %A Ruch, Alexandra %K Health Conditions and Status %K Public Policy %K Women and Minorities %X Objective:To examine how the relationship between depressive symptoms and disability may vary by nativity status in later life. Method: This nationally representative prospective study of community-dwelling adults age 51 years and older in the Health and Retirement Study (1998-2010) used hierarchical linear modeling to examine how depressive symptoms (Center for Epidemiological Symptoms of Depression) and disability (instrumental activities of daily living IADL ; activities of daily living ADL ) vary by nativity status (U.S.- vs. foreign-born), accounting for changes in social support, health behaviors, and health conditions. Results: Depressive symptoms were associated with increased IADL and ADL disability among Latinos compared with Whites; foreign-born Latinos had lower than expected depressive symptom related IADL and ADL (0.82; p .001) disability. Discussion: Given that U.S.-born Latinos had similar or poorer depressive symptom related disability outcomes than Whites, interventions focused on early detection and treatment of depressive symptoms for this group are warranted and may improve disablement outcomes. %B Journal of Aging and Health %I 27 %V 27 %P 1286-1305 %G eng %U http://jah.sagepub.com/content/early/2015/04/22/0898264315580121.abstract %N 7 %4 minority health/minority health/depression/activities of daily living (ADL)/instrumental activities of daily living (IADL)/health paradox %$ 999999 %R 10.1177/0898264315580121 %0 Report %D 2015 %T Does eliminating the earnings test increase the incidence of low income among older women? %A Theodore F. Figinski %A David Neumark %K Income inequality %K Restricted data %K Women and Minorities %X Reducing or eliminating Social Security’s Retirement Earnings Test (RET) can encourage labor supply of older individuals receiving benefits. However, these reforms can encourage earlier claiming of Social Security benefits, permanently lowering future benefits. We explore the consequences, for older women, of eliminating the RET from the Full Retirement Age to age 69 (in 2000), relying on the inter-cohort variation in exposure to changes in the RET to estimate these effects. The evidence is consistent with the conclusion that eliminating the RET increased the likelihood of having very low incomes among women in their mid-70s and older – ages at which the lower benefits from claiming earlier could outweigh higher income in the earlier period when women or their husbands increased their labor supply. %B NBER Working Paper Series %I National Bureau of Economic Research %C Cambridge, MA %8 10/2015 %G eng %U http://www.nber.org/papers/w21601.pdf %R 10.3386/w21601 %0 Report %D 2015 %T Does Social Security Continue to Favor Couples? %A Nadia S. Karamcheva %A April Yanyuan Wu %A Alicia H. Munnell %K Divorce %K Marriage %K Older Adults %K Retirement Planning and Satisfaction %K Social Security %K Women and Minorities %X While dramatic increases in women’s labor supply and earnings have led to a substantial decline in the fraction of women eligible for spouse benefits at retirement, most wives still receive a survivor benefit, as wives still typically have lower earnings than their husbands and live longer. Using the MINT microsimulation model and the HRS data linked with Social Security administrative earnings records, this paper examines the extent to which Social Security continues to favor couples and will do so in the future. The paper finds that while the OASI program still distributes lifetime income from singles to couples, the transfers appear to be shrinking over time. Nevertheless, couples are still projected to have a higher benefit/tax ratio, a lower median net tax rate, and a higher share of them will be receiving positive net transfers from the system as compared to those who are never married or divorced. The increased labor force participation and earnings of women have contributed significantly to the decline in redistribution from men to women, and from singles to couples, while the effect of declining marriage rates has only a modest effect. %I Center for Retirement Research at Boston College %C Chestnut Hills, MA %P 1-44 %8 06/2015 %G eng %U http://crr.bc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/wp_2015-111.pdf %0 Book Section %B Challenges of Latino Aging in the Americas %D 2015 %T The Economic Security of Latino Baby Boomers: Implications for Future Retirees and for Healthcare Funding in the U.S. %A Zachary Gassoumis %A Kathleen H. Wilber %A Torres-Gil, Fernando M. %E William A. Vega %E Kyriakos S Markides %E Jacqueline L. Angel %E Torres-Gil, Fernando M. %K Consumption and Savings %K Healthcare %K Net Worth and Assets %K Public Policy %K Women and Minorities %B Challenges of Latino Aging in the Americas %I Springer %C New York %P 355-378 %G eng %4 health Care Costs/Latinos/economic security/Public Policy/economic disparity %$ 999999 %! The Economic Security of Latino Baby Boomers: Implications for Future Retirees and for Healthcare Funding in the U.S. %& 21 %0 Journal Article %J Journal of Family and Economic Issues %D 2015 %T The Effect of Retirement Date Expectations on Pre-retirement Wealth Accumulation: The Role of Gender and Bargaining Power in Married US Households %A Romm, A. T. %K Adult children %K Consumption and Savings %K Employment and Labor Force %K Expectations %K Methodology %K Net Worth and Assets %K Public Policy %K Retirement Planning and Satisfaction %K Women and Minorities %X This paper used seven waves of data from the US Health and Retirement Study to investigate the impact of expectations regarding the timing of retirement on pre-retirement wealth accumulation of married households. More specifically, the effect of married individuals' subjective beliefs of working full time after age 62 on household wealth was analyzed. Individuals' perceptions of the usual retirement age on the job was used as an instrument for their subjective beliefs of working full time after age 62. On a whole, the point estimates suggested that the responsiveness of married mens' saving behavior to retirement dates expectations was larger than that of married women. In particular, wealth of married households where men had the bargaining power in terms of being sole earners, exhibited the largest decrease in response to increases in subjective probabilities of working past age 62. %B Journal of Family and Economic Issues %I 36 %V 36 %P 593-605 %G eng %N 4 %4 Retirement date/Subjective beliefs/Wealth/expectations/retirement planning/household wealth/labor Force Participation/Personality and Social Psychology/Economics of Gender/Non-labor Discrimination/Public Policy/Women/family structure/Personal finance %$ 999999 %R 10.1007/s10834-014-9413-4 %0 Thesis %D 2015 %T The effects of housing wealth on education and other essays in empirical microeconomics %A Ruddy, Ryan %Y Zuppann, C. Andrew %K Demographics %K Health Conditions and Status %K Healthcare %K Methodology %K Other %K Public Policy %K Women and Minorities %X This dissertation is composed of three essays. The first essay, Family Resources and Secondary Education Investment: Evidence From the Housing Boom uses plausibly exogenous home price increases during the housing boom in the late 1990's and early 2000's to identify the effect of family resources on investment in secondary education. Exploiting the large spatial and timing variation of home price changes during this period, I find the average home price increase lowered the probability of dropping out of high school by age 19 by 1 percentage point, a 10% reduction. Consistent with an increased expectation of ability to pay for college, home price increases also raised the probability of completing a college preparatory curriculum and attending college. Students who reported low grades in eighth grade respond the strongest to home price increases suggesting that merit-based scholarship programs might be less beneficial than scholarship programs which are not contingent on ability. Black students of all ability levels are more likely to remain in high school in response to a home price increase. A mean change in home price decreased the probability of black students dropping out by 20%. The second chapter, The Effect of Housing Wealth on Labor Market Outcomes and Behavior , expands on the findings of Chapter 1 and previous literature that found a link between housing wealth and education by examining the impact of home wealth on adult labor market outcomes and behavior. Using the NLSY97, I measure the effect of a change in home price while in high school on income at age 26, job industry, criminal behavior, and community participation. I find evidence that home wealth shocks increase the probability of holding white collar jobs, increase wages, and positively impact behavior outcomes. These effects are likely manifesting through the increased education found in previous work. The final chapter examines the effect of the introduction of Sildenafil (Viagra) on marriage rates for elderly men in the United States. I exploit the sudden introduction and rise of Viagra use along with the difficulty in obtaining Viagra prescriptions for men with heart problems or history of stroke in a difference in difference framework to find the effect of Viagra on marriage rates. I find that men physically able to take Viagra which married prior to the introduction of Viagra were more likely to remain in their current marriage or enter a new marriage after Viagra's introduction. Furthermore, I find no evidence that the marital behavior of women was altered by health conditions at the time of Viagra's introduction. %I University of Houston %C Houston %V 3663742 %P 140 %8 2015 %G English %U http://proxy.lib.umich.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/1705295501?accountid=14667http://mgetit.lib.umich.edu/?ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&ctx_enc=info:ofi/enc:UTF-8&rfr_id=info:sid/ProQuest+Dissertations+%26+Theses+Full+Text&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/ %9 Ph.D. %M 1705295501 %4 0501:Economics %! The effects of housing wealth on education and other essays in empirical microeconomics %0 Thesis %D 2015 %T Essays in Household Savings and Portfolio Choice %A Dal Borgo, Mariela %K Net Worth and Asset %K Net Worth and Assets %K Risk Taking %K Social Security %K Women and Minorities %X The first part of this thesis presents a decomposition of household savings. One of the explanations for the wealth gap is that households with the same income level and demographic characteristics present differences in saving rates. This issue has been studied for African American versus Whites, but has not been directly addressed for Hispanics. Using pre-retirement data from the Health and Retirement Study, I compute saving rates as the ratio of wealth change to income over the years 1992-1998 and 1998-2004. In a regression framework I find that Mexican Americans, but not other Hispanics, have lower saving rates than Whites, even after controlling for income and socio-demographic factors. The inclusion of Social Security (S.S.) and pension wealth widens the gap further, which reflects the lack of pensions' coverage among Mexican Americans. In contrast, the difference between African Americans and Whites is only significant when retirement assets are not added to total wealth, consistent with the equalizing effect of S.S.. Then I conduct a regression decomposition for the mean gap in saving rates and find that: i) the component of the Mexican American-White differential not explained by observable characteristics becomes significant when S.S. and pensions are included; ii) with or without retirement assets the unexplained racial gap disappears; and iii) income and education are the main predictors of the savings gaps. The second and third parts investigate the effect of bankruptcy protection on households' portfolio choice. The debtor protection provided by the U.S. personal bankruptcy law reduces exposure to uninsurable risks: it allows defaulters to discharge unsecured debt and to protect a certain amount of home equity. A reduction in background risk - for example, resulting from labor or entrepreneurial income - can affect the demand for risky financial assets. Thus, the bankruptcy protection can affect ex ante households' willingness to tilt the financial portfolio towards those assets. On the one hand the implicit consumption insurance may lead to higher risk-taking by increasing the consumption floor if there is a negative wealth shock ("risk-taking channel"). On the other hand, more generous bankruptcy provisions will lead to a reduction in the demand for stock via: i) a higher probability of bankruptcy, since stocks are lost in bankruptcy because they are not protected ("protection channel"); or ii) worse credit market conditions -less access to credit at a higher price-, since higher bankruptcy protection implies a reduction of the collateral ("credit market channel"). In the context of a portfolio choice model, in the second chapter I illustrate how the bankruptcy protection can affect risk-taking through the "risk-taking channel" and the "protection channel". In the third part, I examine empirically the relationship between bankruptcy protection and stock market participation by exploiting the variation in that protection across states and over time. I find that doubling the amount of home equity that can be protected reduces stock ownership by 2 p.p. at intermediate protection levels ($22,000 to $90,000). This decline is restricted to high-asset and high-income households, which are more likely to participate in the stock market. Since poor rather than rich households are affected by worse credit market conditions when bankruptcy becomes more generous, the "credit market channel" is not a plausible mechanism. I do not find any effect of higher protection on the share of stocks in liquid assets, which suggests that the bankruptcy protection does not affect households' risk appetite. My findings are consistent with unprotected rather than risky assets becoming less attractive as the level of protection increases, as predicted by the "protection channel". %I University of Warwick %C Coventry, UK %V Ph. D. %G eng %9 Ph. D. %4 Portfolio Choice %! Essays in Household Savings and Portfolio Choice %0 Journal Article %J IZA Journal of Labor Policy %D 2015 %T The Impact of the Recession on the Wealth of Older Immigrant and Native Households in the United States %A Amuedo-Dorantes, Catalina %A Pozo, Susan %K Employment and Labor Force %K Housing %K Net Worth and Assets %K Pensions %K Public Policy %K Retirement Planning and Satisfaction %K Women and Minorities %X Using the 2006 and 2010 Health and Retirement Study, we explore how the recent recession impacted the wealth holding and retirement plans of older households in the United States. Of particular interest to us is whether the impact on household asset ownership, asset wealth and household retirement behavior varied with the nativity of the household and its standing in the wealth distribution prior to the onset of the recession. We find that the so-called Great Recession made a significant dent on the portfolios of older American households by eroding the value of specific assets to the point of delaying their planned retirement. Furthermore, its impacts were unevenly distributed across demographic and economic groups, with mixed and immigrant households in the middle and top wealth quartiles prior to the recession enduring significantly larger wealth losses than natives due, primarily, to their greater losses in primary housing ownership and primary housing values. %B IZA Journal of Labor Policy %I 4 %V 4 %G eng %4 Economics of the Handicapped/Minorities/Retirement Policy/public policy/Household assets/housing/assets/great Recession/Retirement planning/pensions/labor Force Participation %$ 999999 %R 10.1186/s40173-015-0033-x %0 Journal Article %J International Journal of Applied Economics %D 2015 %T Lasting Impacts of Childhood Health and Socioeconomic Circumstances on Adult Health Problems: Analysis of a Longitudinal Count Regression Model %A Rashmita Basu %K Adult children %K Demographics %K Employment and Labor Force %K Health Conditions and Status %K Women and Minorities %X Objectives. This study examines the lasting impacts of childhood health and circumstances, in addition to adult socioeconomic status on trajectories of chronic health problems in later life and how these associations vary across race/ethnicity as well as gender. Methods. Employing a longitudinal data set from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), this study utilizes a random intercept count regression model to examine how circumstances associated with early life may influence chronic health trajectories in later life. Results. The results demonstrate that poor childhood health and disadvantaged socioeconomic status (SES) are associated with the higher incidence rates of chronic health problems over time. The associations are net of adult socioeconomic status and baseline health status. The adverse effects of poor childhood health and disadvantaged socioeconomic conditions are higher for women than men. While both childhood health and SES have significant impacts on chronic health trajectories for both African-American and White, no such effects have been observed among Hispanic. Discussion. Trajectories of chronic health problems in late life continue to be shaped by childhood health and socioeconomic circumstances. The patterns of associations vary across race/ethnicity as well as gender. %B International Journal of Applied Economics %I 12 %V 12 %P 80-97 %G eng %U http://search.proquest.com/docview/1728641147/1B5FA0446C27487FPQ/68 %N 1 %4 Immigrants/Child Care/Childhood/Children/Gender/Minorities/Family Planning/Fertility/Health Behavior/Indigenous Peoples/Non-labor Discrimination/Women/Socioeconomic Differences %$ 999999 %0 Book Section %B Challenges of Latino Aging in the Americas %D 2015 %T Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Willingness to Pay for Improved Health: Evidence from the Aging and Population %A Odufuwa, Olufolake O. %A Berrens, Robert P. %A Valdez, R. Burciaga %E William A. Vega %E Kyriakos S Markides %E Jacqueline L. Angel %E Torres-Gil, Fernando M. %K Health Conditions and Status %K Net Worth and Assets %K Women and Minorities %B Challenges of Latino Aging in the Americas %I Springer %C New York %P 333-354 %G eng %4 mortality risk reduction/mortality/health status/morbidity/Latinos/statistical life value %$ 999999 %! Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Willingness to Pay for Improved Health: Evidence from the Aging and Population %& 20 %0 Journal Article %J American Journal of Men's Health %D 2015 %T Racial Disparities in Mortality Among Middle-Aged and Older Men: Does Marriage Matter? %A Su, Dejun %A Stimpson, Jim P. %A Wilson, Fernando A. %K Adult children %K Demographics %K Health Conditions and Status %K Women and Minorities %X Based on longitudinal data from the Health and Retirement Study, this study assesses the importance of marital status in explaining racial disparities in all-cause mortality during an 18-year follow-up among White and African American men aged 51 to 61 years in 1992. Being married was associated with significant advantages in household income, health behaviors, and self-rated health. These advantages associated with marriage at baseline also got translated into better survival chance for married men during the 1992-2010 follow-up. Both marital selection and marital protection were relevant in explaining the mortality advantages associated with marriage. After adjusting for the effect of selected variables on premarital socioeconomic status and health, about 28 of the mortality gap between White and African American men in the Health and Retirement Study can be explained by the relatively low rates of marriage among African American men. Addressing the historically low rates of marriage among African Americans and their contributing factors becomes important for reducing racial disparities in men s mortality. %B American Journal of Men's Health %I 9 %V 9 %P 289-300 %G eng %U http://jmh.sagepub.com/content/early/2014/06/24/1557988314540199.abstract %N 4 %4 racial disparities/mortality/marriage/health Behavior/Self assessed health/African American %$ 999999 %R 10.1177/1557988314540199 %0 Journal Article %J Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved %D 2015 %T Racial/Ethnic Differences in Cost-Related Nonadherence and Medicare Part D: A Longitudinal Comparison %A Bakk, Louanne %K Demographics %K Healthcare %K Medicare/Medicaid/Health Insurance %K Methodology %K Public Policy %K Women and Minorities %X Little is known about whether racial and ethnic disparities in cost-related medication nonadherence (CRN) have changed since the implementation of Medicare Part D. This longitudinal study examined the impact of Part D on CRN among racial and ethnic minority Medicare beneficiaries, age 65 and older. Nationally representative data were obtained from the Prescription Drug Study and Health and Retirement Study. A differences-in-differences approach was used to compare CRN among non-Hispanic Blacks, Hispanics, and non-Hispanic Whites. The results indicate CRN was higher among the two minority groups than among non-Hispanic Whites before and after Medicare Part D. Mixed-effects logistic regression analyses show that CRN did not significantly change between pre- and post-Medicare Part D for any of these three groups. However, older non-Hispanic Blacks and Hispanics had a larger reduction in CRN than non-Hispanic Whites. These findings suggest that despite Medicare Part D, racial and ethnic disparities in CRN persist. %B Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved %I 26 %V 26 %P 1132-1148 %G eng %N 4 %4 cost-related nonadherence/adherence interventions/adherence interventions/sociodemographic differences/sociodemographic differences/Minority and ethnic groups/PRESCRIPTION DRUG COVERAGE/HEALTH INSURANCE/public policy/ethnicity/Medicare Part D/Prescription drugs %$ 999999 %0 Journal Article %J Family and community health %D 2015 %T Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Men's Health: Examining Psychosocial Mechanisms %A Tyson H Brown %A Taylor W. Hargrove %A Griffith, Derek M. %K Demographics %K Health Conditions and Status %K Women and Minorities %X This study uses data from the Health and Retirement Study and an approach informed by the Biopsychosocial Model of Racism as a Stressor to examine the extent to which socioeconomic status, stressors, discrimination, and neighborhood conditions are mechanisms underlying racial/ethnic disparities in functional limitations among men. Results reveal that racial/ethnic differences in socioeconomic status, stressors, discrimination, and neighborhood conditions-individually and collectively-account for a substantial proportion of racial/ethnic disparities in functional limitations. Findings suggest that the social determinants of health for men of color need to be more seriously considered in investigations of and efforts to address health disparities. %B Family and community health %I 38 %V 38 %P 307-18 %G eng %N 4 %4 stress/Racism/racial/Ethnic Differences/minorities/social determinants/health behavior %$ 999999 %R 10.1097/fch.0000000000000080 %0 Journal Article %J Social Work in Public Health %D 2015 %T The Relationship between Psychosocial Factors and Breast Cancer Screening Behaviors of Older Hispanic Women %A Tamara J. Cadet %K Health Conditions and Status %K Healthcare %K Women and Minorities %X Guided by the theory of planned behavior, this study utilized data from the 2008 wave of the Health and Retirement Study to investigate psychosocial factors associated with older Hispanic women's participation in breast cancer screening services. Hierarchical logistic regression models were used to assess the odds of breast cancer screening participation. Findings indicate that satisfaction with aging and constraints were associated with a reduced likelihood of participating in breast cancer screening. These findings suggest the continued importance to assess older women's attitudes when discussing preventive services. %B Social Work in Public Health %I 30 %V 30 %P 207-223 %G eng %N 2 %4 Planned behavior/psychosocial factors/psychosocial factors/hispanics/women/breast cancer/health screening %$ 999999 %R 10.1080/19371918.2014.969857 %0 Thesis %B School of Public Service Leadership %D 2015 %T Relationship of financial literacy to retirement preparedness among female baby-boomer cohorts %A Womack, Barbara Klein %Y Keefer, Autumn %K End of life decisions %K Health Conditions and Status %K Methodology %K Net Worth and Assets %K Public Policy %K Retirement Planning and Satisfaction %K Women and Minorities %X Studies have not examined the impact of components of financial literacy on retirement preparedness nor the relationship between financial literacy and decision-making among female baby-boomers. This study examined data from the 2010 wave of the Health and Retirement Study for females born between 1946 and 1959. This study defined financial literacy as including knowledge of investment strategies, the bond market, risk, and diversity. It defined retirement preparedness as the possession of specific financial assets. Financial decision-making was defined as the potential for mortgage default and carrying balances on credit cards. The study used a synthesis of rational choice and planned behavior theories. Correlation was used to describe the relationships between variables, and Fisher's transformation was used to determine significant differences between cohorts. Multiple linear regression was used to create predictive models for retirement planning, with the resultant finding that age was significant in predicting retirement preparedness ( p < .01). Older cohorts were more prepared, particularly in terms of owning IRA/Keogh plans. Understanding the effects of holding a variety of stocks and foreign stocks were most strongly related to retirement preparedness. There was a significant relationship between financial literacy and the potential for mortgage default ( p < .05) but not for carrying credit card balances. The regression produced a significant ( p < .05) predictive model for retirement preparedness, thought the relationship with financial literacy was slight. The research has implications in terms of housing, health, and municipal sustainability. Further research is necessary to define financial literacy, retirement preparedness, and their relationship. %B School of Public Service Leadership %I Capella University %V Ph.D. %P 115 %8 2015 %G eng %4 Social research %! Relationship of financial literacy to retirement preparedness among female baby-boomer cohorts %0 Journal Article %J Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society %D 2015 %T Role of Place in Explaining Racial Heterogeneity in Cognitive Outcomes among Older Adults %A Sze Y Liu %A M. Maria Glymour %A Laura B Zahodne %A Weiss, Christopher %A Jennifer J Manly %K Health Conditions and Status %K Healthcare %K Women and Minorities %X Racially patterned disadvantage in Southern states, especially during the formative years of primary school, may contribute to enduring disparities in adult cognitive outcomes. Drawing on a lifecourse perspective, we examine whether state of school attendance affects cognitive outcomes in older adults and partially contributes to persistent racial disparities. Using data from older African American and white participants in the national Health and Retirement Study (HRS) and the New York based Washington Heights Inwood Cognitive Aging Project (WHICAP), we estimated age-and gender-adjusted multilevel models with random effects for states predicting years of education and cognitive outcomes (e.g., memory and vocabulary). We summarized the proportion of variation in outcomes attributable to state of school attendance and compared the magnitude of racial disparities across states. Among WHICAP African Americans, state of school attendance accounted for 9 of the variance in years of schooling, 6 of memory, and 12 of language. Among HRS African Americans, state of school attendance accounted for 13 of the variance in years of schooling and also contributed to variance in cognitive function (7 ), memory (2 ), and vocabulary (12 ). Random slope models indicated state-level African American and white disparities in every Census region, with the largest racial differences in the South. State of school attendance may contribute to racial disparities in cognitive outcomes among older Americans. Despite tremendous within-state heterogeneity, state of school attendance also accounted for some variability in cognitive outcomes. Racial disparities in older Americans may reflect historical patterns of segregation and differential access to resources such as education. %B Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society %I 21 %V 21 %P 677-687 %G eng %N 9 %4 Cognitive functioning/Geographical variation/Memory/AFRICAN-AMERICANS/DEMENTIA/CLINICAL NEUROLOGY/PSYCHIATRY/NEUROSCIENCES/MORTALITY/Sociocultural Factors %$ 999999 %R 10.1017/s1355617715000806 %0 Thesis %D 2015 %T Social Resource Factors that Influence Cognitive Functioning of Aging Black Adults %A Swett, Laura %Y Shields, Joseph J. %K Demographics %K Event History/Life Cycle %K Gerontology %K Health Conditions and Status %K Healthcare %K Methodology %K Other %K Women and Minorities %X Social workers have found that aging adults are often challenged by reduced cognitive functioning, which impacts their health and mental health. Recent advances in knowledge indicate that social resources such as quality of emotional support and social integration can slow cognitive decline. Aging Black persons are twice more likely to have cognitive impairment than aging White persons. However, the majority of studies investigating associations or predictors of cognitive health are comprised of primarily White samples, and little is known regarding the effect of social resource factors on cognition in aging Black adults. Data for the study came from the 2010 wave of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), an ongoing, longitudinal, population-based cohort study of adults ages 50 to 98. The analyzed sample was comprised of 338 men and 699 women who self-identified as African American/Black. Controlling for factors known to influence cognitive functioning, a multiple regression analysis of four categories of social resources was conducted, by gender, to determine their effect on global cognitive functioning: quality of social supports, social networks, social integration, and social influence. For Black men, emotional support from family and frequency of contact with their children were predictive of global cognition. For Black women, emotional support from friends was positively predictive of global cognition. Further, locus of control perceived constraints was inversely related with global cognition in men, while education was positively predictive of global cognition across gender. The findings demonstrate that the evaluative aspects of social relationships (perceptions of support) are important in predicting cognitive functioning for both genders, and the structural components (types of relationships or frequency of contacts) are important in predicting cognitive functioning for men. Additionally, this study validated the role of gender as a moderator between quality of social supports and global cognition, and as a moderator between social networks and global cognition in aging Black persons. Research grounded in intersectionality theory yielded unique information for Black men and women that is applicable for evidence-based practice interventions. Practices targeting the reduction of constraints and strengthening family, friend, and children networks in men, and practices assisting women in strengthening their friendship networks, may mitigate their cognitive decline and increase their global cognition as they age. %I The Catholic University of America %C Washington, DC %V 3705749 %P 185 %8 2015 %G English %U http://proxy.lib.umich.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/1705880418?accountid=14667http://mgetit.lib.umich.edu/?ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&ctx_enc=info:ofi/enc:UTF-8&rfr_id=info:sid/ProQuest+Dissertations+%26+Theses+Full+Text&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/ %9 Ph.D. %M 1705880418 %4 0296:African American Studies %! Social Resource Factors that Influence Cognitive Functioning of Aging Black Adults %0 Journal Article %J American journal of public health %D 2015 %T Use of life course work-family profiles to predict mortality risk among US women %A Erika L. Sabbath %A Guevara, Ivan Mejia %A M. Maria Glymour %A Lisa F Berkman %K Adult children %K Event History/Life Cycle %K Health Conditions and Status %K Other %K Women and Minorities %X OBJECTIVES: We examined relationships between US women's exposure to midlife work-family demands and subsequent mortality risk. METHODS: We used data from women born 1935 to 1956 in the Health and Retirement Study to calculate employment, marital, and parenthood statuses for each age between 16 and 50 years. We used sequence analysis to identify 7 prototypical work-family trajectories. We calculated age-standardized mortality rates and hazard ratios (HRs) for mortality associated with work-family sequences, with adjustment for covariates and potentially explanatory later-life factors. RESULTS: Married women staying home with children briefly before reentering the workforce had the lowest mortality rates. In comparison, after adjustment for age, race/ethnicity, and education, HRs for mortality were 2.14 (95 confidence interval CI =1.58, 2.90) among single nonworking mothers, 1.48 (95 CI=1.06, 1.98) among single working mothers, and 1.36 (95 CI=1.02, 1.80) among married nonworking mothers. Adjustment for later-life behavioral and economic factors partially attenuated risks. CONCLUSIONS: Sequence analysis is a promising exposure assessment tool for life course research. This method permitted identification of certain lifetime work-family profiles associated with mortality risk before age 75 years. %B American journal of public health %I 105 %V 105 %P e96-e102 %G eng %N 4 %4 mortality risk/mortality risk/WOMEN/midlife/work-family balance/life Course %$ 999999 %R 10.2105/ajph.2014.302471 %0 Journal Article %J Journals of Gerontology Series B-Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences %D 2015 %T The Vicious Cycle of Parental Caregiving and Financial Well-being: A Longitudinal Study of Women %A Lee, Yeonjung %A Tang, Fengyan %A Kim, Kevin H. %A Steven M. Albert %K Adult children %K Healthcare %K Net Worth and Assets %K Women and Minorities %X Objectives. This study examines the relationship between caring for older parents and the financial well-being of caregivers by investigating whether a reciprocal association, or vicious cycle, exists between female caregiver's lower household incomes and caring for elderly parents. Method. Data for women aged 51 or older with at least 1 living parent or parent-in-law were drawn from the Health and Retirement Survey 2006, 2008, and 2010 (N = 2,093). A cross-lagged panel design was applied with structural equation modeling. Results. We found support for the reciprocal relationship between parental caregiving and lower household income. Female caregivers were more likely than noncaregivers to be in lower household income at later observation points. Also, women with lower household income were more likely than women with higher household income to assume caregiving at later observation points. Discussion. This study suggests that there exists a vicious cycle of parental care and lower household income among women. A key concern for policy is female caregivers' financial status when care of older parents is assumed and care burden when women's financial status declines. %B Journals of Gerontology Series B-Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences %I 70 %V 70 %P 425-431 %G eng %N 3 %4 older parents/caregiver burden/household income/women/parental care/financial status %$ 999999 %R 10.1093/geronb/gbu001 %0 Report %D 2015 %T The Wealth of Wealthholders %A Ameriks, John %A Caplin, Andrew %A Lee, Minjoon %A Matthew D. Shapiro %A Tonetti, Christopher %K Adult children %K Consumption and Savings %K Employment and Labor Force %K Event History/Life Cycle %K Net Worth and Assets %K Public Policy %K Women and Minorities %X This paper introduces the Vanguard Research Initiative (VRI), a new panel survey of wealthholders designed to yield high-quality measurements of a large sample of older Americans who arrive at retirement with significant financial assets. The VRI links survey data with a variety of administrative data from Vanguard. The survey features an account-by-account approach to asset measurement and a real-time feedback and correction mechanism that are shown to be highly successful in eliciting accurate measures of wealth. Specifically, the VRI data reflect unbiased and precise estimates of wealth when compared to administrative account data. The VRI sample has characteristics similar to populations meeting analogous wealth and Internet access eligibility conditions in the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) and Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF). To illustrate the value of the VRI, the paper shows that the relationship between wealth and expected retirement date is very different in the VRI than in the HRS and SCF--mainly because those surveys have so few observations where wealth levels are high enough to finance substantial consumption during retirement. %I Cambridge, United States, NBER Working Paper No. 20972 %G eng %U http://search.proquest.com/docview/1687935318/1B5FA0446C27487FPQ/32 %4 Consumption/Saving/Wealth/Fiscal Policy/Fiscal Policy/Public Policy/transfers/Household economics/Intertemporal Household Choice/Life Cycle Models/Economics of the Elderly/Economics of the Handicapped/Non-labor Market Discrimination %$ 999999 %0 Report %D 2015 %T What Determines End-of-Life Assets? A Retrospective View %A James M. Poterba %A Steven F Venti %A David A Wise %K Consumption and Savings %K Employment and Labor Force %K Net Worth and Assets %K Women and Minorities %X We consider assets when individuals were last observed prior to death in the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) and trace assets backwards to the age when these individuals were first observed. For most individuals, assets in the last year observed (LYO) were very similar to assets in the first year observed (FYO). In particular, most of those who were last observed with very low asset levels also had low assets when first observed. We also estimate the relationship between an individual's asset change between the first and last date of observation, that individual's education and health status when first observed, and that individual's within-sample changes in health and family composition. We obtain estimates for HRS respondents who were 51 to 61 in 1992 and for AHEAD respondents who were age 70 and over in 1993. %G eng %4 Consumption/Saving/Wealth/Economics of the Elderly/Economics of the Handicapped/Non-labor Market Discrimination %$ 999999 %0 Thesis %D 2015 %T What impacts life satisfaction of aging adults following stressful life events?: An examination of the buffering effect of personal resources %A Barragan, Cassandra %Y Faith P. Hopp %K Adult children %K Demographics %K Health Conditions and Status %K Healthcare %K Methodology %K Net Worth and Assets %K Other %K Retirement Planning and Satisfaction %K Women and Minorities %X Purpose: Existing research has shown that elders experience changes in their life satisfaction following stressful life events. There is an abundance of literature supporting the predictive nature of not only stressful life events on life satisfaction, but social support, autonomy, and financial security. What the literature is lacking, is examination of the buffering effect of social support, autonomy, and financial security on the relationship between stressful life events and life satisfaction. This study hypothesizes that increases in social support, autonomy, and financial security will buffer the impact of SLEs for elders and thus, they will experience increases in their life satisfaction over time. It is also expected that social support and financial security will buffer differently among Black and White elders. Methods: The public use files of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) between the years 2006 and 2012 are used to explore the interaction between social support, autonomy, and financial security with stressful life events and the impact on life satisfaction. Linear regression are conducted to explore each buffering impact on life satisfaction over time. Results: The research findings in this dissertation demonstrate that the changes in personal resources; social support, autonomy, and financial security; play an important role in changes in life satisfaction. Additionally, Black and White elders are impacted differently by changes in financial security. In general, the results from this study demonstrate that individuals who have declines in their personal resources following stressful life events also experience declines in their life satisfaction. %I Wayne State University %C Detroit %V 3700590 %P 158 %8 2015 %G English %9 Ph.D. %M 1680024446 %4 Aging %! What impacts life satisfaction of aging adults following stressful life events?: An examination of the buffering effect of personal resources %0 Journal Article %J Women and Health %D 2014 %T The Association Between Socioeconomic Status and Cardiovascular Risk Factors Among Middle-Aged and Older Men and Women %A Kristi Rahrig Jenkins %A Mary Beth Ofstedal %K Demographics %K Health Conditions and Status %K Women and Minorities %X Studies of gender differences in the association between socioeconomic status (SES) and cardiovascular risk factors have produced mixed findings. The purpose of this research was to examine whether the association between SES and cardiovascular risk factors differed between older men and women. Using data on physical measures and biomarkers from the 2006 Health and Retirement Study (N = 2,502 men; N = 3,474 women), linear regression models were used to estimate the association between SES and seven cardiovascular risk factors. Interactions between gender and SES were tested. For all seven risks assessed, we observed significant associations of selected SES factors to cardiovascular risk for men and/or women. In all of these cases, lower SES was associated with higher cardiovascular risk. However, for six of the factors, we also observed gender differences in the association between SES and cardiovascular risk, such that lower SES was associated with higher cardiovascular risk for women but not for men. These findings suggest that the association between SES and cardiovascular risk is more pronounced for women than for men. Implementing interventions to reduce cardiovascular risk factors, particularly among older women with lower SES, might, over time, reduce cardiovascular disease in women and improve quality of life. %B Women and Health %I 54 %V 54 %P 15-34 %G eng %N 1 %4 socioeconomic status/cardiovascular risk/WOMEN %$ 999999 %R 10.1080/03630242.2013.858098 %0 Thesis %D 2014 %T Depression and older, community-dwelling, African American women %A Tamika C. Baldwin %Y Halaevalu F. Ofaheng Vakalahi %K Adult children %K Health Conditions and Status %K Healthcare %K Methodology %K Women and Minorities %X Using data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) 2010 wave, this research examined depression among community-dwelling, African American women, age 50 and over. Depression among this population was examined in relation to age, social support, religion, caregiving, and physical health. Intersectionality and social construction were used as theoretical frameworks for the study. Drawn from an original sample of 22,034 individuals, the sample for this research consisted of 2,249 respondents. Multiple logistic regression was used to predict depression among community-dwelling African American women. Findings indicated significant relationships between depression and age, social support, and physical health. However, religion and caregiving were not found to be significant predictors of depression among this population. Implications for future research, practice and policy are also discussed. %I Morgan State University %C Baltimore, MD %V 3626229 %P 96 %8 2014 %G English %9 Ph.D. %M 1557702373 %4 Womens studies %$ 999999 %! Depression and older, community-dwelling, African American women %0 Journal Article %J Population Research and Policy Review %D 2014 %T Does the Hispanic Paradox in U.S. Adult Mortality Extend to Disability? %A Mark D Hayward %A Robert A Hummer %A Chi-Tsun Chiu %A César González-González %A Rebeca Wong %K Demographics %K Disabilities %K Health Conditions and Status %K Women and Minorities %X Studies consistently document a Hispanic paradox in U.S. adult mortality, whereby Hispanics have similar or lower mortality rates than non-Hispanic whites despite lower socioeconomic status. This study extends this line of inquiry to disability, especially among foreign-born Hispanics, since their advantaged mortality seemingly should be paired with health advantages more generally. We also assess whether the paradox extends to U.S.-born Hispanics to evaluate the effect of nativity. We calculate multistate life tables of life expectancy with disability to assess whether racial/ethnic and nativity differences in the length of disability-free life parallel differences in overall life expectancy. Our results document a Hispanic paradox in mortality for foreign-born and U.S.-born Hispanics. However, Hispanics low mortality rates are not matched by low disability rates. Their disability rates are substantially higher than those of non-Hispanic whites and generally similar to those of non-Hispanic blacks. The result is a protracted period of disabled life expectancy for Hispanics, both foreign- and U.S.-born. %B Population Research and Policy Review %I 33 %V 33 %P 81-96 %G eng %U http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11113-013-9312-7 %N 1 %4 Hispanic paradox/Disability/Disability/Mortality/Disabled life expectancy/Nativity %$ 999999 %R 10.1007/s11113-013-9312-7 %0 Thesis %D 2014 %T The economic security of an aging minority population: A profile of Latino baby boomers to inform future retirees %A Zachary Gassoumis %Y Kathleen H. Wilber %K Demographics %K Income %K Methodology %K Net Worth and Assets %K Women and Minorities %X The United States is facing dramatic demographic changes due to the aging of the Baby Boom Generation and increasing diversity, including rapid growth of the Latino population. Questions have been raised regarding the economic security of the aging baby boomers' generational cohort once they retire, which are of particular relevance to minority and Latino members of the cohort. Latinos tend to have lower levels of financial security than their white, non-Latino counterparts, but there is little research that examines individuals who fall into the intersection of these two groups: the Latino baby boomers. Because Latino boomers are a largely hidden population, their economic status and prospects are difficult to estimate. The first empirical chapter (Chapter 2) looks at the characteristics of the Baby Boomer population living in the 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, broken down by Latino ethnicity and citizenship status. Drawing from several U.S. Census Bureau data sources, it revealed three key findings: 1) there were 80 million baby boomers in the U.S. in 2000--more than previously reported--of which 8.0 million (10%) were Latinos; 2) U.S.-born Latino boomers were more similar to non-Latino boomers in terms of demographic characteristics, whereas foreign-born citizens and non-citizens scored less well on key demographic indicators; and 3) compared to non-Latino baby boomers, U.S.-born Latino baby boomers had somewhat less favorable economic characteristics. The second empirical chapter identifies the magnitude of racial/ethnic structural disadvantage for income and wealth in the years preceding retirement for the Baby Boom Generation, then compares their structural disadvantage with that of members of the Silent Generation cohort when they were the same age. After adjusting for sociodemographic variables (age, gender, citizenship status, education, marital status, and labor force participation), the structural effects of race/ethnicity on income--using the American Community Survey--and wealth--using the Health and Retirement Study--were considerably reduced, confirming two of the chapter's four hypotheses; however, the expected reduction in structural effects from the Silent Generation to the Baby Boom Generation was seen for wealth but not for income, confirming only one of the remaining two hypotheses. This reduction of structural disparities in wealth from the Silent Generation to the Baby Boom Generation follows the expectation that these disparities would be reduced over time, which signals good news for the younger members of the Baby Boom Generation, Generation X, and future generational cohorts. But large gaps still exist between racial/ethnic groups, even after sociodemographic adjustment; future reduction in those structural inequalities can help decrease those gaps, an especially important consideration for low-income racial/ethnic minority groups. The third empirical chapter takes an initial step toward disaggregating by age the effect of naturalization on income growth. Using linear growth curve modeling on data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation's 2004 panel, it attempts to replicate past findings across the entire lifespan, but fails to detect an effect of naturalization on income growth; only non-citizens had a significantly higher level of income growth during the study period than U.S.-born citizens. In subsetting the analysis for older and younger working-age groups, an effect of naturalization was not detected for either group, and the positive effect for non-citizens was seen only for the younger age group. The predictor variables on the whole had minimal relationships with slope in the model, with less than 1% of variance explained in each model. Although a stronger effect of the predictor variables, including an effect of naturalization, may have appeared were more years of data available, it was not detected over the 4-year study period. Two unexpected findings were: 1) individuals in the younger sample who had naturalized before the study had higher intercepts than U.S.-born citizens but no such difference emerged in the older sample; and 2) in a bivariate context, those who naturalized during the study represented a socioeconomic midpoint of sorts--on racial/ethnic composition, education, and income--naturalized prior to the study. In sum, these chapters shed light on the Baby Boom cohort's characteristics and dynamics in the period leading up to their retirement age. This dissertation provides insights into the characteristics, demographic history, and socioeconomic patterns of the upcoming cohort of retirees. Implications of these findings have the potential to inform and to modify practice and policy for the next cohort: Generation X. The findings underscore the importance of reducing disparities in education and, to a degree, citizenship as a mechanism for countering the persistent effects of structural inequality on income. These insights have implications for both theory and policy and lay a foundation for a wide range of future research, which is discussed in the final chapter. %I University of Southern California %C Los Angeles %V 3628171 %P 124 %8 2014 %G English %U http://proxy.lib.umich.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/1560683648?accountid=14667http://mgetit.lib.umich.edu/?ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&ctx_enc=info:ofi/enc:UTF-8&rfr_id=info:sid/ProQuest+Dissertations+%26+Theses+A%26I&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt: %9 Ph.D. %M 1560683648 %4 ethnicity %$ 999999 %! The economic security of an aging minority population: A profile of Latino baby boomers to inform future retirees %0 Journal Article %J The Journal of the Economics of Ageing %D 2014 %T Education, brain health, and improving life opportunities for women %A Kenneth M. Langa %A Eric B Larson %K Education %K Gender Differences %K Life opportunities %K Older Adults %K Women and Minorities %X The paper by Lei et al. in this issue adds to the growing body of empirical evidence that education and cognitive stimulation, both in early-life and in later-life, seem especially important for cognitive health and the prevention of cognitive decline with aging. The expanding educational opportunities for girls and women in developing countries such as China over the last few decades appear to have played an important role in improving their cognitive health and, in turn, have likely expanded their opportunities to participate more fully and successfully in both work and social roles. While “curing” dementia in the coming decades seems unlikely, decreasing the risk of cognitive impairment and disability in both developed and developing countries through increasing education, life-long cognitive stimulation, and improved control of cardiovascular risk appears achievable. Success would benefit people of all ages by keeping older adults more independent and productive, and minimizing the burden of support on younger generations. %B The Journal of the Economics of Ageing %V 4 %P 56 - 58 %8 Jan-12-2014 %G eng %U http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S2212828X14000176http://api.elsevier.com/content/article/PII:S2212828X14000176?httpAccept=text/xmlhttp://api.elsevier.com/content/article/PII:S2212828X14000176?httpAccept=text/plain %! The Journal of the Economics of Ageing %R 10.1016/j.jeoa.2014.08.001 %0 Report %D 2014 %T Financial Literacy Among American Indians and Alaska Natives %A Murphy, John L. %A Gourd, Alicia %A Begay, Faith %K Net Worth and Assets %K Retirement Planning and Satisfaction %K Women and Minorities %X Many Americans lack important financial skills and knowledge of critical concepts that can help ensure sound retirement planning and future economic security. Prior research has suggested that low levels of financial literacy are particularly acute among certain groups such as women, blacks, and persons with lower levels of educational attainment (Dunaway-Knight and others 2012; Hung, Parker, and Yoong 2009; Huston 2010; Lusardi 2008; A. Murphy 2005). This study adds to previous work on financial literacy among minority groups by examining the American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) population. Prior research on AIANs has often used convenience samples of university students and has been limited by the lack of nationally representative samples (for example, Anderson and others (2010); Chen and Volpe (2002); Mandell (2009); and Mandell and Klein (2007)). In this note, we use a nationally representative sample from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) to analyze how AIAN respondents scored on the 2008 HRS financial literacy module compared with white respondents (reference group) and other minority groups. The HRS is one of the foremost sources of information on the population aged 50 or older. We use an 18-item financial sophistication and investment decision-making (FSIDM) questionnaire.1 Each correct answer receives one point; thus, the scale ranges from 0 to 18, with higher values representing more financial sophistication. The FSIDM questionnaire has been widely used in other studies to investigate financial literacy (for example, Agarwal and others (2009); Lusardi (2008); Lusardi and Mitchell (2007, 2008, 2011); and Lusardi, Mitchell, and Curto (2009)). Researchers have primarily used the FSIDM questionnaire to examine overall knowledge of financial literacy across broad swaths of the older U.S. population by sex, age, income, and race. However, racial differences in the aforementioned studies have been primarily limited to those between blacks and whites. Our analysis finds that the mean number of questions that AIAN respondents correctly answered was significantly lower than the comparable figures for white, black, and Asian respondents. For each of the 18 questions in the module, we find that there are specific financial literacy topics in which the knowledge gap between AIANs and other race/ethnic groups was particularly large. However, a limited sample size constrains this analysis, and additional data and research are needed to fully address financial literacy within the AIAN population. %I Social Security Administration, Office of Retirement and Disability Policy, Office of Research, Evaluation, and Statistics %G eng %U http://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/rsnotes/rsn2014-04.html %4 Native Americans/financial literacy/retirement planning/economic security/American Indians/Alaska Natives %$ 999999 %0 Journal Article %J Public Finance and Management %D 2014 %T Involuntary Retirement, U.S. Social Security Program Participation and the Great Recession %A Seligman, Jason S. %K Disabilities %K Employment and Labor Force %K Health Conditions and Status %K Public Policy %K Retirement Planning and Satisfaction %K Social Security %K Women and Minorities %X Involuntary retirement covers economic and health related dislocations. Over 1992-2011, three-in-ten retirees in the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) report an involuntary retirement. Roughly half of these involuntary retirements are health-related. Following the Great Recession, involuntary retirement in the U.S. grew much faster than voluntary retirement. I find that while the population receiving Social Security retirement benefits grew 6 slower than average, the population receiving no public retirement or disability benefits grew 79 faster than average and the population reporting health-related involuntary retirement grew 270 faster than average. While incomes are found to have fallen for all retiree groups, those reporting health-related involuntary retirements are found to have retirement income declines of 38 and the lowest pre-retirement incomes of any measured group. These findings suggest patterns of vulnerability that have important implications for proposals seeking to reform the U.S. Social Security Program. %B Public Finance and Management %I 14 %V 14 %P 329-356 %G eng %U http://proxy.lib.umich.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/1667944354?accountid=14667http://mgetit.lib.umich.edu/?ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004andctx_enc=info:ofi/enc:UTF-8andrfr_id=info:sid/ProQ 3Aeconlitshellandrft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:journa %N 3 %4 Social Security/Public Pensions/Health Behavior/Economics of the Elderly, Economics of the Handicapped, Non-labor Market Discrimination/Retirement planning/Retirement Policies/Public Policy/labor Force Participation/Disability/Disability/Social Security %$ 999999 %0 Book %D 2014 %T Latinos in an Aging World: Social, Psychological, and Economic Perspectives %A Ronald J. Angel %A Jacqueline L. Angel %K Demographics %K Retirement Planning and Satisfaction %K Women and Minorities %X The introduction motivates the book and sets the stage for the entire discussion. Chapter 1 reviews the histories of the major Hispanic subgroups along with various theories as they relate to race, ethnicity, and gender that provide a conceptual framework for understanding the later chapters. Demographic, economic, and social profiles of the various Hispanic subgroups are explored in chapter 2. Next the Latino population is explored from various perspectives including the economic and social situations of men and women and their educational, marital and family, and labor force experiences. Chapter 4 examines older immigrants and their families and identifies the resources available to them in their communities that often replicate the cultural and social support system of the old country. Major health risks that older Latinos face as a result of the disadvantages they experience throughout life are examined in chapter 5. Family situations and long-term care and living arrangements of older Hispanics are examined in chapter 6. The impact of neighborhood on quality of life in terms of safety and physical and mental wellbeing is explored in chapter 7. The burden that eldercare can place upon those who bear the responsibility of their daily care is explored in chapter 8. Chapter 9 investigates the gaps in income between minority and non-Hispanic white Americans and reviews what individuals with few resources need to know about financial management. The book concludes with the social, political, and economic implications of the growing Hispanic population and the role of NGOs and other organizations in providing services to older populations. %I Routledge %C New York %G eng %U http://www.amazon.com/Latinos-Aging-World-Psychological-Perspectives/dp/184872537X %4 hispanics/retirement planning/Socioeconomic Differences/latinos %$ 999999 %0 Journal Article %J Nicotine and Tobacco Research %D 2014 %T Perceived Sex Discrimination Amplifies the Effect of Antagonism on Cigarette Smoking %A Angelina R Sutin %A English, Devin %A Michele K Evans %A Alan B Zonderman %K Health Conditions and Status %K Risk Taking %K Women and Minorities %X Introduction: Compared to men, the decline in smoking over the past few decades has been slower for women and smoking-related morbidity and mortality has increased substantially. Identifying sex-specific risk factors will inform more targeted intervention/prevention efforts. The purpose of this research is to examine the interactive effect of psychological (trait antagonism) and social (perceived sex discrimination) factors on current cigarette smoking and whether these effects differ by sex. Methods: Participants in the Healthy Aging in Neighborhoods of Diversity across the Life Span study (HANDLS; N = 454) and participants in the Health and Retirement Study (HRS; N = 8,155) completed measures of antagonism, perceived sex discrimination, and reported whether they smoked currently. Logistic regressions were used to predict smoking from antagonism, discrimination, and their interaction. Results: Antagonism was associated with an increased risk of smoking. For women, there was an interaction between antagonism and discrimination: among women who perceived sex discrimination, every standard deviation increase in antagonism was associated with a 2.5 increased risk of current smoking in HANDLS (odds ratio OR = 2.54, 95 CI = 1.46 4.39) and an almost 1.5 increased risk in HRS (OR = 1.43, 95 CI = 1.18 1.73). This interaction was not significant for men in either sample. Conclusion: In 2 independent samples, perceived sex discrimination amplified the effect of antagonism on cigarette smoking for women, but not men. A hostile disposition and a perceived hostile social environment have a synergistic effect on current cigarette smoking for women. %B Nicotine and Tobacco Research %G eng %U http://ntr.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2014/01/28/ntr.ntt222.abstract %4 smoking/women/sex discrimination/risk factors %$ 999999 %R 10.1093/ntr/ntt222 %0 Journal Article %J Journal of Physical Activity and Health %D 2014 %T Physical Activity and Mortality Among Middle-Aged and Older Adults in the United States %A Wen, Ming %A Li, Lifeng %A Su, Dejun %K Demographics %K Health Conditions and Status %K Retirement Planning and Satisfaction %K Women and Minorities %X Background: Physical activity (PA) has been routinely linked to lower all-cause mortality, yet extant research in the United States is primarily based on nonrepresentative samples. Evidence is scant on the relative and independent merits of leisure-time (LTPA) versus non-leisure-time (NLTPA) activities and how the PA-mortality link may vary across racial-ethnic-gender groups. Methods: Data were from Health and Retirement Study which began in 1992 collecting data on individuals aged 51-61 years who were subsequently surveyed once every 2 years. The current study assessed group-specific effects of LTPA and NLTPA measured in 1992 on mortality that occurred during the 1992-2008 follow-up period. Cox proportional hazard analyses were performed to examine the PA-mortality link. Results: Net of a wide range of controls, both LTPA and NLTPA showed a gradient negative relation with mortality. No gender-PA interaction effects were evident. Some interaction effects of PA with race-ethnicity were found but they were weak and inconsistent. The mortality reduction effects of PA seemed robust across racial-ethnic-gender groups. Conclusions: Regardless of personal background, PA is a major health promoting factor and should be encouraged in aging populations. More research is needed to assess relative merits of different types and domains of PA. %B Journal of Physical Activity and Health %I 11 %V 11 %P 303-312 %G eng %N 2 %4 aging/ethnicity/ALL-CAUSE MORTALITY/BODY-MASS INDEX/LEISURE-TIME/CARDIOVASCULAR-DISEASE/ETHNIC-DIFFERENCES/EXERCISE CAPACITY/WOMEN/HEALTH/CENTENARIANS %$ 999999 %0 Journal Article %J Obesity Facts %D 2014 %T Predictors of Weight Loss in Obese Older Adults: Findings from the USA and the UK %A Sarah E Jackson %A Rebecca J. Beeken %A Wardle, Jane %K Adult children %K Health Conditions and Status %K Women and Minorities %X Objective: To examine the prevalence and demographic predictors of clinically meaningful weight loss in community samples of obese older adults in the USA and the UK. Methods: Data were from obese older adults (BMI 30 kg/m2; age 52 years), free of a cancer diagnosis, from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS; n = 3398) and the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA; n = 998). Weight change was assessed from 2004 to 2008. Multivariable logistic regression tested whether age, sex, ethnicity, marital status, education, or BMI predicted 5 weight loss. Results: Over a quarter (28.7 ) of obese participants from HRS and 16.6 from ELSA lost 5 weight. Being female (odds ratio (OR) = 1.31, 95 confidence interval (CI) = 1.11-1.54) and heavier (BMI 35 kg/m2) (OR = 1.60, 95 CI = 1.37-1.87) predicted weight loss in HRS. Trends were similar in ELSA (female: OR = 1.18, 95 CI = 0.83-1.69; BMI 35 kg/m2: OR = 1.24, 95 CI = 0.85-1.82). ORs were increased in 65-year-olds in HRS (OR = 1.55, 95 CI = 1.33-1.81), and reduced in married people in ELSA (OR = 0.69, 95 CI = 0.48-1.00). Neither education nor ethnicity predicted weight loss in either cohort. Conclusion: A high proportion of obese older adults experience clinically meaningful weight loss, but few demographic variables consistently predict weight loss in this population. 2014 S. Karger GmbH, Freiburg. %B Obesity Facts %I 7 %V 7 %P 102-110 %G eng %U http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-84897119471andpartnerID=40andmd5=f9f70f628dc5b0a20a721ff7288b13f4 %N 2 %4 Weight loss/Obesity/WOMEN/Married couples %$ 999999 %0 Journal Article %J Journal of Family Issues %D 2014 %T Racial Variations of Parity Status as a Predictor of Disability Onset Among Old-Old Women %A Kenzie Latham %A Holcomb, Jeanne %K Adult children %K Event History/Life Cycle %K Health Conditions and Status %K Healthcare %K Women and Minorities %X This research investigates whether the capacity of parity status to predict disability onset varies by race among older women. Data from the Health and Retirement Study (1998-2008) were used, and a series of discrete-time event-history models were estimated using multinomial logistic regression. Disability onset was constructed from five common activities of daily living measures (i.e., difficulty dressing, bathing, eating, getting in/out of bed, and walking). The initial risk group was old-old women (i.e., born before 1925) without disability in 1998 (N = 2,229). Nulliparous and high-parity Black women born before 1925 were more likely to develop disability onset compared with White women with the same parity status. The results suggest that parity status among Black older women may be a salient risk factor for disability onset. %B Journal of Family Issues %I 35 %V 35 %P 291-311 %G eng %N 3 %4 Family Demography/Life Course/Mother-Child Relationship/Long-Term Consequences/disabilities/Fertility History/Childbearing/African American %$ 69352 %R 10.1177/0192513x12468436 %0 Journal Article %J The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry %D 2014 %T Racial/ethnic variations in the relation between body mass index and cognitive function among older adults %A Bryant, Ami N. %A Ford, Katy-Lauren %A Kim, Giyeon %K Demographics %K Health Conditions and Status %K Women and Minorities %X OBJECTIVES: The present study examines racial/ethnic variations in the relation between body mass index (BMI) and cognitive function among older adults. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study of secondary data. SETTING: Data were obtained from the 2010 Health and Retirement Study. PARTICIPANTS: Racial/ethnic groups analyzed were black (n = 546), Hispanic (n = 110), and non-Hispanic white (n = 4,104). MEASUREMENTS: BMI was calculated based on self-reported height and weight. Cognitive function was measured based on Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status-Health and Retirement Study version scores. RESULTS: Significant main effects were found for both BMI and race/ethnicity, indicating that cognitive function varies significantly by both. The BMI race/ethnicity interaction was also found to be significant. The interaction revealed that among the white sample cognitive function scores tended to increase as BMI increased whereas the opposite relation was observed in the Hispanic sample. The black sample displayed a similar pattern as the white sample, although a decrease was observed in cognitive function scores once BMI reached obesity. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that the relation between BMI and cognitive function does vary by race ethnicity. Therefore, it can be concluded that high or low BMI may vary as a risk or protective factor for cognitive dysfunction among older adults by race/ethnicity. Implications for research and clinical work are discussed. %B The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry %I 22 %V 22 %P 653-60 %G eng %N 7 %4 Cognitive function/body mass index/racial/ethnic differences/weight/African American/Hispanic %$ 999999 %R 10.1016/j.jagp.2013.08.006 %0 Journal Article %J Journal of Family and Economic Issues %D 2014 %T Women s Timing of Receipt of Social Security Retirement Benefits %A Gillen, Martie %A Claudia J Heath %K Retirement Planning and Satisfaction %K Social Security %K Women and Minorities %X The 2000 2006 waves of Health and Retirement Study data were used to estimate the effects of human capital characteristics and income sources on women s timing of receipt of Social Security retirement benefits. Using logistic regression, the likelihood of early election of benefits was increased by earnings regardless of marital status; and, for married women, by husband s age being greater than wife s, and by other income. For married women, education decreased the likelihood of electing early benefits. For unmarried women, IRA/annuity income reduced the likelihood of early receipt of benefits. Using multinomial logistic regression, the likelihood of combinations of expected and actual benefit receipt options were estimated. A greater percentage of married, compared to unmarried, women expected and elected early benefits. %B Journal of Family and Economic Issues %I 35 %V 35 %P 362-375 %G eng %U http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10834-013-9374-z %N 3 %4 Social Security/Women/Retirement benefits/Retirement %$ 999999 %R 10.1007/s10834-013-9374-z %0 Journal Article %J Journal of Applied Gerontology %D 2013 %T Aging without Driving: Evidence From the Health and Retirement Study, 1993 to 2008 %A Moon Choi %A Briana Mezuk %K Demographics %K Health Conditions and Status %K Other %K Women and Minorities %X This study characterized older adults who do not drive (former and never drivers) and examined how this group of elders has changed over the past 15 years. Sample included community-living adults aged 70 to 85 who do not drive from the 1993 Asset and Health Dynamics Among the Oldest Old Study (N = 1,979) and 2008 Health and Retirement Study (N = 1,119). Chi-square and t tests were used to assess differences between never and former drivers and between cohorts. Logistic regression was used to examine the predictors of having never driven. The driving status among older adults has improved over the past 15 years as the proportion of never drivers declined from 11 to 2 . However, nondriving has become more concentrated among ethnic minority women, and the gaps in education and net worth between former and never drivers widened over the 15 years. %B Journal of Applied Gerontology %I 32 %V 32 %P 902-912 %G eng %U Go to ISI ://CCC:000324060300007http://www.sagepub.co.uk %N 7 %4 Driving/mobility/disparities/gender issues/older-adults/cessation/women/patterns %$ 69132 %R 10.1177/0733464812441502 %0 Report %D 2013 %T Are Gender Differences Emerging in the Retirement Patterns of the Early Boomers? %A Kevin E. Cahill %A Michael D. Giandrea %A Joseph F. Quinn %K Demographics %K Employment and Labor Force %K Healthcare %K Net Worth and Assets %K Retirement Planning and Satisfaction %K Women and Minorities %X Controlling for career employment later in life, the retirement patterns of men and women in America have resembled one another for much of the past two decades. Is this relationship coming to an end? Recent research suggests that the retirement patterns of the Early Boomers those born between 1948 and 1953 have diverged from those of earlier cohorts. Gender differences appear to be emerging as well in the way that career men and women exit the labor force, after nearly two decades of similarities. This paper explores these gender differences in detail to help determine whether we are witnessing a break in trend or merely a short-term occurrence. We use data on three cohorts of older Americans from the nationally-representative, longitudinal Health and Retirement Study (HRS) that began in 1992. We explore by gender the types of job transitions that occur later in life and explore, in particular, the role of four potentially relevant determinants: the presence of dependent children; a parent in need of caregiving assistance; occupational status on the career job; and self-employment status. We find that, among career men and women, child and parental caregiving are not significant drivers of the retirement transitions of the Early Boomers, all else equal. Gender differences that may exist with respect to these characteristics are therefore unlikely to lead to persistent gender differences in retirement patterns. In contrast, self employment continues to be a statistically significant determinant of bridge job transitions and phased retirement. This finding, combined with the fact that men are much more likely than women to be self employed later in life, could lead to some differences by gender going forward, though the impact is likely to be limited given that the large majority of older workers are in wage-and-salary employment. Older Americans both men and women are responding to their economic environment by working later in life and exiting the labor force gradually. While some determinants of these decisions likely impact men and women differently, gender differences with respect to the retirement patterns of the Early Boomers appear to be the result of broader macroeconomic forces. The evidence to date suggests that gender differences may dissipate as the recovery ensues. %I Washington, DC, Bureau of Labor Statistics %G eng %U http://www.bls.gov/osmr/pdf/ec130090.pdf %4 Economics of Aging/Partial Retirement/Gradual Retirement/retirement planning/early boomers/labor Force Participation/gender differences/caregiver Status/WOMEN/working spouses %$ 69300 %0 Journal Article %J Ethnicity and disease %D 2013 %T Differences in diabetes mellitus onset for older Black, White, and Mexican Americans %A A. R. Quinones %A Jersey Liang %A Wen Ye %K Health Conditions and Status %K Methodology %K Women and Minorities %X OBJECTIVES: Our research examines the differences in estimated odds of developing diabetes mellitus for White, Black, and Mexican Americans age 51 and over for a period of 11 years. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Longitudinal data came from 14,783 respondents of the Health and Retirement Study (1995-2006) who reported being diabetes-free at the first time period. Discrete-time survival models were used to analyze ethnic variations in the probability of developing diabetes. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Estimated odds of developing diabetes mellitus. RESULTS: The odds of newly diagnosed diabetes increased between 1995 and 2006, with 11 cumulative incidence for all study participants. The probability of incident diabetes among Black Americans was .01 during the period of 1995/96-1998, which increased to .03 during 1998-2000 and remained at .03 throughout subsequent periods, with cumulative incidence over the 11 years at 12 . In contrast, for Mexican Americans the probability more than doubled from .02 in 1995/ 96-1998 to .05 in 2004-2006, with cumulative incidence at 19 . White Americans had 11 cumulative incidence during the 11 year period. CONCLUSIONS: Relative to White Americans, Mexican Americans had significantly elevated odds of developing diabetes throughout the 11-year period of observation even after controlling for differences in demographic, socioeconomic, and time-varying health characteristics. %B Ethnicity and disease %I 23 %V 23 %P 310-5 %G eng %N 3 %4 diabetes Mellitus/Discrete-time survival model/Mexican Americans/Incidence %$ 69186 %0 Thesis %D 2013 %T Essays on health economics %A Beck, Laurel %Y John Karl Scholz %K Employment and Labor Force %K Health Conditions and Status %K Insurance %K Methodology %K Other %K Retirement Planning and Satisfaction %K Women and Minorities %X Chapter 1: Medicare provides nearly-universal health insurance for individuals aged 65 and older. The discontinuity in eligibility for Medicare provides an instrument for assessing the effects of insurance coverage on health outcomes. Using regression discontinuity analysis and data from the BRFSS, this paper finds an increase in utilization of preventive health services, as well as an improvement in self-reported health, at age 65. The effects vary across education level and gender. However, these results would be biased by high retirement rates at age 65. To address this issue, I run similar analysis at age 62, when individuals are first eligible to collect Social Security. I find that utilization is positively correlated with insurance but not retirement. The implications of these findings for assessing the cost-effectiveness of preventive care are limited, because the cross-sectional data do not capture the long-term benefits of diagnostic procedures. Chapter 2: This paper assesses the effects of working on the health of less-educated women, particularly mothers. These effects are difficult to estimate because health status affects labor force participation. To address this endogeneity problem, I use an instrumental variables estimation approach. Throughout the 1990s, changes in the EITC and the transition from AFDC to TANF provided exogenous incentives for women to enter the work force, independent of their own health status. This paper builds on the literature by including the incentives created by welfare reform and EITC which vary by state. It also includes measures of both physical and mental self-reported health, giving a broad picture of the effects of entering the labor force on the health of this population. Chapter 3: This chapter (with Atsuko Tanaka), examines the effect of depression on various labor force outcomes, including hours worked and wages. We use panel data from the Japanese Panel Survey of Consumers (JPSC) and the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) to follow respondents over several years, using questions about both mental health and labor force outcomes. In order to understand the causal effect of depression on work participation and compensation, we use deaths of the parents of respondents as an exogenous shock to mental health. %I The University of Wisconsin - Madison %C Madison, WI %V 3606130 %P 118 %8 2013 %G English %U http://search.proquest.com.proxy.lib.umich.edu/docview/1492136506?accountid=14667http://mgetit.lib.umich.edu/?ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&ctx_enc=info:ofi/enc:UTF-8&rfr_id=info:sid/Dissertations+%26+Theses+%40+CIC+Institutions&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dis %9 Ph.D. %M 1492136506 %4 Mental health %$ 999999 %! Essays on health economics %0 Report %D 2013 %T An Evaluation of HRS Sample Weights %A Gouskova, Elena %K Methodology %K Women and Minorities %X The Health and Retirement Study (HRS) documentation describes HRS sample weights as post-stratified by age, race/ethnicity, marital status and gender (Ofstedal, et al., 2011). Yet, we find systematic differences between distributions of these variables in the HRS and the Current Population Survey (CPS). In particular, in the HRS, minorities totals are under-estimated in older cohorts and over-estimated in younger cohorts in 2004, 2006 and 2008 survey waves. We hypothesize that these discrepancies result from of a simplified post-stratification approach, with post-stratification by race/ethnicity not being done jointly with all other factors. Given the HRS study design, however, a joint post-stratification is called for. %I Social Science Research Network %G eng %4 Minorities/Sample Design/Methodology %$ 69288 %0 Thesis %D 2013 %T Functional limitations and chronic conditions predict CES-D-8 depression scores %A Liu, Ying %Y Robert F. Kennison %K Health Conditions and Status %K Healthcare %K Methodology %K Women and Minorities %X The role of functional limitations and self-reported chronic disease on CES-D-8 depression scores was investigated in the Health and Retirement Study's 2008 data. The sample included 5835 respondent's ranging in age from 50-83. Multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS) modeling was employed to identify multiple linear splines. Possible predictors included functional limitations (ADL, IADL), chronic diseases (back pain, stroke, arthritis, cancer, high blood pressure, heart disease, lung disease, & diabetes) and demographic measures (age, education, gender, being white, being Hispanic). The MARS modeling process resulted in selection of the following measures in the final model: ADL limitations, IADL limitations, back pain, stroke, education, being female, and being Hispanic. The results indicated that ADL limitations included two splines with a large increase in depression score from zero to one limitation, and a more shallow increase from one to three limitations. IADL limitations included two splines with a linear increase in depression score from zero to two limitations and a decrease in score from two to three limitations. Reporting back pain or stroke resulted in higher depression scores compared to absence of disease. Two splines were identified for education in which the highest depression scores were associated with zero to 7 years of education; there was a linear decline in depression from seven to 17 years of education. Females and Hispanics were associated with higher depression scores compared to males and non-Hispanics. Results emphasize the importance of functional status and selected chronic health conditions on depression scores and provide more detailed descriptions of change than traditional regression-based models. %I California State University, Los Angeles %V 1542832 %P 63 %8 2013 %G English %9 M.A. %M 1426827677 %4 women %$ 69220 %! Functional limitations and chronic conditions predict CES-D-8 depression scores %0 Journal Article %J Journal of Aging and Health %D 2013 %T Health Shocks in the Family: Gender Differences in Smoking Changes %A Rachel Margolis %K Demographics %K Health Conditions and Status %K Healthcare %K Other %K Women and Minorities %X This study estimates the likelihood of starting and stopping smoking when respondents and their partners report new chronic illnesses. Analysis of longitudinal data from the Health and Retirement Study tests whether starting or stopping smoking is more likely when (a) the respondent, (b) their partner, (c) or both report a new chronic condition, and whether these patterns differ by gender. Both men and women are more likely to quit smoking when reporting a new chronic condition, relative to when reporting none. However only women are more likely to quit smoking when their partners fall ill. Women are also more likely than men to start smoking at this time. Among older couples, women's smoking changes are more sensitive to health shocks in the partnership. Interventions aimed at preventing unhealthy behaviors should pay attention to how each partner deals with the stress of health shocks. %B Journal of Aging and Health %I 25 %V 25 %P 882 %G eng %N 5 %4 Chronic illnesses/Smoking/Gender differences/Health behavior/Intervention/Older people/women/Spousal care %$ 69108 %0 Report %D 2013 %T How Do the Changing Labor Supply Behavior and Marriage Patterns of Women Affect Social Security Replacement Rates? %A April Yanyuan Wu %A Nadia S. Karamcheva %A Alicia H. Munnell %A Patrick J. Purcell %K Adult children %K Employment and Labor Force %K Social Security %K Women and Minorities %X This paper seeks to determine the impact of the changing lives of women increased labor force participation/earnings and reduced marriage rates on Social Security replacement rates. First, our estimates, based on the Health and Retirement Study and Modeling Income in the Near Term, show that Social Security replacement rates have dropped sharply at both the household- and individual-level, and the decline will continue for future retirees. Our second finding is that this aggregate change masks a complex relationship between replacement rates and the marital status and income levels of individuals. The decline in replacement rates over time is largest for married couples with husbands whose earnings are in the top tercile. Decomposing the reasons for the overall decline shows that increases in the labor supply and earnings of women explain more than one-third of the change. In contrast, the impact of changing marital patterns is relatively small. Much of the remaining explanation rests with the increased Full Retirement Age and changing claiming behaviors. %I Chestnut Hill, MA, Center for Retirement Research at Boston College %G eng %4 women/labor force participation/marriage/social security/claiming behavior/claiming behavior %$ 999999 %0 Journal Article %J Social Security Bulletin %D 2013 %T How do trends in women's labor force activity and marriage patterns affect social security replacement rates? %A April Yanyuan Wu %A Nadia S. Karamcheva %A Alicia H. Munnell %A Patrick J. Purcell %K Adult children %K Employment and Labor Force %K Methodology %K Women and Minorities %X This article examines how women's increased labor force participation, increased earnings, and reduced marriage rates affect Social Security replacement rates over time. Based on data from the Health and Retirement Study and Modeling Income in the Near Term, our estimates show that Social Security replacement rates have dropped sharply at both the household and individual levels, and the declines will continue for future retirees. We also find that this aggregate change masks a complex relationship between replacement rates and the marital status and income levels of individuals. The decline in replacement rates over time is largest for married couples with husbands having higher earnings. Increases in the labor force activity and earnings of women explain more than one-third of the change. By contrast, the impact of changing marital patterns is relatively small. Changes to the full retirement age and the timing of benefit claiming explain much of the remaining decline. %B Social Security Bulletin %I 73 %V 73 %P 1-24 %G eng %N 4 %4 women/labor Force Participation/marriage/replacement rate %$ 999999 %0 Thesis %D 2013 %T Illness-related diabetes social support and glycemic control among middle aged and older adults %A Mondesir, Favel L. %Y White, Kellee %K Adult children %K Demographics %K Health Conditions and Status %K Healthcare %K Methodology %K Public Policy %K Women and Minorities %X Objective: The objective of this study is to investigate the association between illness-related diabetes social support (IRDSS) and glycemic control (GC) among a racially diverse sample of middle aged and older adults. In gender-stratified models we examine whether the relationship between IRDSS and GC is modified by race/ethnicity. Additionally, we explore the association between eight individual types of IRDSS and GC. Methods: We used the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) 2002 and the 2003 Diabetes Survey. The final analytic sample consisted of 914 study respondents. Gender-stratified multivariable logistic regression models were used to calculate odd ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association between IRDSS and GC, test an interaction between race/ethnicity and IRDSS, and investigate the association between individual IRDSS variables and GC. Final models were adjusted for socio-demographic characteristics, lifestyle factors and clinical characteristics. Results: 79.5% and 76.7% of males and females respectively are classified as having adequate glycemic control. Among females, there was a significant association between IRDSS and GC (OR: 2.39; 95% CI: 1.44, 4.00), but no significant association was observed among males. There was a significant interaction between race/ethnicity and IRDSS (p-value < 0.10). Among Hispanic females, there was a higher odds (OR: 5.75; 95% CI: 1.01, 32.63) of adequate glycemic control in those who had high levels of IRDSS. The strongest association was found between high levels of emotional oriented social support and GC among females (OR=2.05; 95% CI: 1.18, 3.54). Conclusion: Our findings suggest that the relationship between IRDSS and GC varied by gender, where we only observed an association among females. Although we found a significant interaction between Hispanic race/ethnicity and IRDSS among females, our results should be interpreted with caution due to small sample sizes for the groups. We found that type of social support for self-care activities may play a role in achieving GC, where emotional support was most important. Further studies should aim at identifying factors which may determine gender differences in the association between IRDSS and GC. Race/ethnicity as an effect modifier of this association also needs further exploration in studies with larger sample sizes. %I University of South Carolina %C Columbia, SC %V 1544617 %P 84 %8 2013 %G English %U http://search.proquest.com.proxy.lib.umich.edu/docview/1438176454?accountid=14667http://mgetit.lib.umich.edu/?ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&ctx_enc=info:ofi/enc:UTF-8&rfr_id=info:sid/ProQuest+Dissertations+%26+Theses+A%26I&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertat %9 M.S.P.H. %M 1438176454 %4 0766:Epidemiology %$ 999999 %! Illness-related diabetes social support and glycemic control among middle aged and older adults %0 Journal Article %J Journal of Marriage and Family %D 2013 %T Marriage, marital history, and Black-White wealth differentials among older women %A Fenaba R. Addo %A Lichter, Daniel T. %K Adult children %K Older Adults %K Racial/ethnic differences %K Women and Minorities %X This study investigated the impact of union history and marital transitions on wealth inequality between older Black and White women (N = 7,026). Cohort data from the Health and Retirement Study show large and increasing Black - White differences in wealth. Marital and relationship histories are associated with the wealth accumulation process among older women. Women who married and stay married accumulated levels of wealth that exceeded those of other women with disrupted family lives. The marriage - wealth nexus is sensitive to a woman's position in the wealth distribution. Quantile regression results revealed that racial differences in total wealth holdings between Black and White women exist throughout the wealth distribution, whereas the relationship between current union history and wealth differentials is significant at the lower tail and middle of the distribution. Decomposition analyses highlighted the nontrivial role of racial disparities in marital histories in accounting for the racial wealth gap. As members of the baby boom generation enter their retirement years, it will be more important than ever to monitor the wealth accumulation process among older single and racial/ethnic minority women. %B Journal of Marriage and Family %I 75 %V 75 %P 342-362 %G eng %U http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jomf.12007/abstract %N 2 %R 10.1111/jomf.12007 %0 Journal Article %J Women, Gender, and Families of Color %D 2013 %T Multidimensional Approaches to Examining Gender and Racial/Ethnic Stratification in Health %A Tyson H Brown %A Taylor W. Hargrove %K Demographics %K Healthcare %K Women and Minorities %X Extant research on health disparities has traditionally employed a unidimensional approach to stratification, focusing on gender and racial/ethnic inequality separately. Such studies implicitly assume that gender inequality is monolithic across racial/ethnic lines and that racial/ethnic stratification is similar for women and men. While informative, these traditional, unidimensional approaches artificially decouple gender and racial/ethnic inequality and, consequently, may obscure the gender-race/ethnicity-health relationship, thus limiting our understanding of the unique health experiences of women of color. This study extends prior research by using multidimensional approaches to examine whether gender and racial stratification combine in an additive or multiplicative fashion to shape functional health, consistent with double-jeopardy and intersectionality hypotheses, respectively. In addition, this study investigates the extent to which group differences in socioeconomic status (SES), health behaviors, and medical care explain gender-racial/ethnic disparities in health. We use data from the Health and Retirement Study, a nationally representative sample of older adults, to address these questions among a diverse sample of black, white, and Mexican American men and women. Results reveal that women of color have worse functional health than all other gender-racial/ethnic groups and that the joint impacts of gender and racial/ethnic oppression on functional health are additive among Mexican Americans and multiplicative among blacks. We find that multidimensional approaches namely, double-jeopardy and intersectionality as well as examination of various potential mediators of health disparities provide a better understanding of how health is shaped by multiple social locations. %B Women, Gender, and Families of Color %I 1 %V 1 %P 180-206 %G eng %N 2 %4 health disparities/Socioeconomic Differences/socioeconomic Status/Minority/ethnic groups %$ 999999 %0 Journal Article %J Health and place %D 2013 %T Neighborhood racial residential segregation and changes in health or death among older adults %A Joseph J Sudano %A Perzynski, Adam %A Wong, David W. %A Colabianchi, Natalie %A Litaker, David %K Demographics %K Health Conditions and Status %K Healthcare %K Methodology %K Public Policy %K Women and Minorities %X We assessed relationships between neighborhood racial residential segregation (RRS), individual-level health declines and mortality using Health and Retirement Study data. We calculated the census-tract level Location Quotient for Racial Residential Segregation (LQRRS), and estimated adjusted relative risks (ARR) of LQRRS for declines in self-reported health or death 1992-2000, controlling for individual-level characteristics. Of 6653 adults, 3333 lived in minimal, 2242 in low, 562 in moderate, and 516 in high LQRRS tracts in 1992. Major decline/death rates were: 18.6 , 25.2 , 33.8 and 30.4 in minimal, low, moderate and high tracts, respectively. Adjusting for demographic characteristics, residence in low, moderate and high LQRRS census tracts was associated with greater likelihood of major decline/death compared to minimal LQRRS. Controlling for all variables, only moderate LQRRS predicted major decline/death, ARR=1.31 (95 CI 1.07, 1.59; p .05). %B Health and place %I 19 %V 19 %P 80 %G eng %4 Segregation/Residential Segregation/Location Quotient for Racial Residential Segregation/Contextual effects/Health status/Census tracts/Health disparities/Mortality/public Policy/Public health %$ 69754 %0 Report %D 2013 %T Optimal Financial Knowledge and Wealth Inequality %A Annamaria Lusardi %A Pierre-Carl Michaud %A Olivia S. Mitchell %K Financial literacy %K Older Adults %K Wealth Inequality %K Women and Minorities %X While financial knowledge is strongly positively related to household wealth, there is also considerable cross-sectional variation in both financial knowledge and net asset levels. To explore these patterns, we develop a calibrated stochastic life cycle model featuring endogenous financial knowledge accumulation. The model generates substantial wealth inequality, over and above that of standard life cycle models; this is because higher earners typically have more hump-shaped labor income profiles and lower retirement benefits which, when interacted with precautionary saving motives, boost their need for private wealth accumulation and thus financial knowledge. Our simulations show that endogenous financial knowledge accumulation has the potential to account for a large proportion of wealth inequality. The fraction of the population which is rationally financially "ignorant" depends on the generosity of the retirement system and the level of means-tested benefits. Educational efforts to enhance financial savvy early in the life cycle so as to produce one percentage point excess return per year would be valued highly by people in all educational groups. %B NBER Working Paper Series %I National Bureau of Economic Research %C Cambridge, MA %P 1-49 %G eng %U http://www.nber.org/papers/w18669.pdf %R 10.3386/w18669 %0 Journal Article %J Journal of Health and Human Services Administration %D 2013 %T Physical symptoms, chronic and life-threatening illness trajectories among minority and aging populations %A Beverly P. Lyons %A Helisse Levine %K Demographics %K Healthcare %K Methodology %K Other %K Public Policy %K Women and Minorities %X The purpose of this study is to determine the relationship across race/ethnicity relative to reported subjective physical symptoms and clinically assessed medical conditions among the aging minority population using the Health and Retirement Study data for years 1998-2000. Poisson and negative binomial regressions were used to estimate three count dependent variables: physical symptom, chronic, and life-threatening medical conditions. Results indicate that while Black respondents were 18 more likely to report physical symptoms when compared to White respondents (B = .171, p .01, e sup .171 = 1.18) and 1.06 times more likely to report life-threatening medical conditions (B = .058, p .01, e sup .058 = 1.06), when SES variables were added being Black was no longer significantly associated with physical symptoms and chronic conditions. However, being Black did remain statistically significant and positively associated with life-threatening conditions, even after controlling for SES. Results bear statistical and clinical significance, given that we are examining racial and ethnic groups. First, Blacks are at higher risk for premature death for a variety of reasons; this has implications on financial expenditures and on the quality of life. Second, growth among the Hispanic population is outpacing both White and Black populations. Policy initiatives, including geriatric health education, partnerships with community and grass-roots leaders will promote awareness. PUBLICATION ABSTRACT %B Journal of Health and Human Services Administration %I 36 %V 36 %P 323 %G eng %N 3 %4 Minority/ethnic groups/Older people/Studies/Health risk assessment/Correlation analysis/Demographics/Public health %$ 999999 %0 Journal Article %J Journal of Pension Economics and Finance %D 2013 %T Redistribution under the Social Security benefit formula at the individual and household levels, 1992 and 2004 %A Alan L Gustman %A Thomas L. Steinmeier %A N. Tabatabai %K Adult children %K Income %K Pensions %K Social Security %K Women and Minorities %X Studies using data from the early 1990s suggested that while the progressive Social Security benefit formula succeeded in redistributing benefits from individuals with high earnings to individuals with low earnings, it was much less successful in redistributing benefits from households with high earnings to households with low earnings. Wives often earned much less than their husbands. As a result, much of the redistribution at the individual level was effectively from high earning husbands to their own lower earning wives. In addition, spouse and survivor benefits accrue disproportionately to women from high income households. Both factors mitigate redistribution at the household level. It has been argued that with the increase in the labor force participation and earnings of women, Social Security now should do a better job of redistributing benefits at the household level. To be sure, when we compare outcomes for a cohort with a household member age 51 to 56 in 1992 with those from a cohort born twelve years later, redistribution at the household level has increased over time. Nevertheless, as of 2004 there still is substantially less redistribution of benefits from high to low earning households than from high to low earning individuals. %B Journal of Pension Economics and Finance %I 12 %V 12 %P 1-27 %G eng %N 1 %4 Social Security/Redistribution/Benefits/Spouse benefits/Survivor benefits/Benefit formula/Womens earnings/Family %$ 69144 %R 10.1017/s1474747212000108 %0 Thesis %D 2013 %T Rural African American grandmothers raising grandchildren: The impact of chronic illness %A Woods, Tamara M. %Y Daines, Andrea %K Adult children %K Demographics %K Health Conditions and Status %K Healthcare %K Methodology %K Women and Minorities %X The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the experiences of eight African American grandmothers residing in rural North Carolina caring for their grandchildren, while suffering from chronic health issues. The research questions for this study are as follows: (1. What is the perceived impact of chronic health issues on African American grandmothers raising their grandchildren in rural North Carolina? (2. How do grandmothers who reside in rural communities describe how their health issues have impacted their ability to care for their grandchild? (3. Do perceptions of social support and life transitions impact grandmother's health? The research examined the health, physical functioning, well-being, social support, and resources of these grandmothers. Family development theory and Wellness theory formed the theoretical frameworks for understanding the impact of the health issues on these grandmothers. The grandmothers reported challenges and needs which included their own health issues, financial difficulties, limited support, transportation difficulties, and childcare concerns. A major finding was that the grandmother's health did not negatively impact their ability to care for their grandchildren. Developing health education programs and other formal supports which focus on the health of the grandmothers, their financial difficulties, transportation needs, respite, and childcare may help address grandmother's perceptions of their changing health and level of community and social support. %I Capella University %C Minneapolis, MN %V 3605171 %P 138 %8 2013 %G English %U http://search.proquest.com.proxy.lib.umich.edu/docview/1477862228?accountid=14667http://mgetit.lib.umich.edu/?ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&ctx_enc=info:ofi/enc:UTF-8&rfr_id=info:sid/ProQuest+Dissertations+%26+Theses+A%26I&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertat %9 Ph.D. %M 1477862228 %4 0493:Aging %$ 999999 %! Rural African American grandmothers raising grandchildren: The impact of chronic illness %0 Journal Article %J The Journals of Gerontology %D 2013 %T Is Self-Rated Health Comparable Between Non-Hispanic Whites and Hispanics? Evidence From the Health and Retirement Study %A Su, Dejun %A Wen, Ming %A Kyriakos S Markides %K Demographics %K Health Conditions and Status %K Methodology %K Retirement Planning and Satisfaction %K Women and Minorities %X Using subsequent all-cause mortality as a yardstick for retrospective health, this study assessed the comparability of self-rated health (SRH) between non-Hispanic whites and Hispanics. Based on longitudinal data from 6,870 white and 886 Hispanic respondents aged between 51 and 61 in the 1992 Health and Retirement Study, we related SRH in 1992 to risk of mortality in the 1992-2008 period. Logit models were used to predict white-Hispanic differences in reporting fair or poor SRH. Survival curves and cox proportional hazard models were estimated to assess whether and the extent to which the SRH-mortality association differs between non-Hispanic whites and Hispanics. Hispanic respondents reported worse SRH than whites at the baseline, yet they had similar risk of mortality as whites in the 1992-2008 period. Overall, Hispanics rated their health more pessimistically than whites. This was especially the case for Hispanics who rated their health fair or poor at the baseline, whereas their presumed health conditions, as reflected by subsequent risk of mortality, should be considerably better than their white counterparts. Health disparities between whites and Hispanics aged between 51 and 61 will be overestimated if the assessment has been solely based on differences in SRH between the two groups. Findings from this study call for caution in relying on SRH to quantify and explain health disparities between non-Hispanic whites and Hispanics in the United States. %B The Journals of Gerontology %I 68 %V 68 %P 622 %G eng %N 4 %4 survival curves/Personal health/Whites/Hispanics/Mortality/Retirement/Self assessed health %$ 69064 %0 Journal Article %J Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology %D 2013 %T Social Engagement and Physical and Cognitive Health Among American Indian Participants in the Health and Retirement Study %A Nelson, Lonnie A. %A Carolyn Noonan %A Goldberg, Jack %A Dedra S. Buchwald %K Health Conditions and Status %K Public Policy %K Women and Minorities %X Social engagement has many demonstrated benefits for aging non-Hispanic Whites in the U.S. This study examined data from the U.S. Health and Retirement Study to determine whether these benefits were similar among American Indians and Alaska Natives older than 50 years. Linear regression techniques were used to examine the associations between level of social engagement, scores for memory and mental status, and self-reported health among 203 American Indian and Alaska Native elders who participated in the Health and Retirement Study and had data available between 1998 and 2010. Level of social engagement was significantly associated with memory, mental status, and self-reported health. However, only the association of social engagement with mental status and self-reported health remained significant (p = 0.04 and p = 0.05, respectively) after adjusting for sociodemographic variables, number of known health conditions, and scores on the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale. Level of social engagement was not associated with patterns of decline across time in cognitive or physical health. Higher levels of social engagement are associated with better physical and cognitive functioning in American Indian and Alaska Native elders. Future studies should examine whether this association acts through cognitive stimulation, increase in physical activity resulting from social engagement, or access to resources that support physical and cognitive health. %B Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology %I 28 %V 28 %P 453 %G eng %N 4 %4 CES Depression Scale/CES Depression Scale/Cognition/Alaska Natives/American Indians/Social engagement/Public health/Native Americans/Depression/Public Policy %$ 69332 %0 Thesis %B Psychology %D 2013 %T Vascular depression: An early indicator of decline %A Daniel Paulson %Y Peter A Lichtenberg %K Health Conditions and Status %K Healthcare %K Women and Minorities %X Women over the age of 80 represent a rapidly growing demographic group. While older women live longer than men, they do so with more years of disability and frailty. The emergence of geriatric disorders such as vascular disease, depression, frailty and cognitive decline in the aging US population place additional strain and expense on the already over-burdened public health care system. Meanwhile, integrated models of care are associated with preserved functional independence, reduced medical costs, and greater satisfaction for both health care providers and patients. Implementation of integrated care demands process-models of disease that contextualize symptoms within broader patterns of decline. This dissertation proposes a model representing a hypothesized late-life clinical trajectory following from high cerebrovascular burden. The hypothesized trajectory includes higher rates of depression (of vascular origin), cognitive decline, frailty and shortened remaining lifespan. Different facets of this model are tested in the four studies that comprise this dissertation. The sample was drawn from the Health and Retirement Study; a longitudinal, demographically-representative data sample of older adults in the United States. The sub-sample used in this dissertation included 1,368 stroke-free women over the age of 80 at baseline (1998). This sub-sample was followed for 10 years. The first study tested the hypotheses that high CVB predicts greater depression symptoms, and that brain reserve (i.e.: education) protects elders from developing depression symptoms. A latent growth curve was used to identify differences in depression at baseline and over time based on CVB, cognitive functioning, education and age. Results indicate that at any level of CVB, older women with more education experienced fewer depression symptoms. Results support brain reserve theory and the vascular depression hypothesis. These results suggest that having greater education may postpone development of clinically-significant depressive symptoms resulting from high CVB, thereby preserving mood in late life. The second study tested the hypothesis that variables representing the three domains of Rowe and Kahn's Healthy Aging framework predict longevity in this sample of stroke-free women over the age of 80. The "avoidance of disease" domain was characterized in this paper as CVB - chronic comorbidites that slowly erode adaptive functioning over many years. The "sustained engagement" criteria was conceptualized as depression, and deficits in the "preservation of cognitive and physical functioning" domain were identified as rapid cognitive decline. We found that at most waves (2002, 2004, 2006) mortality was predicted by CVB, depressive symptoms and cognitive drop measured 2 years prior. CVB and depressive symptoms at the 2000 wave predicted mortality at 6 and 8-years. Older women with the greatest longevity had low CVB, robust cognitive functioning and few depression symptoms, supporting successful aging theory and terminal cognitive drop. The third study tested the hypothesis that vascular depression is a prodrome for frailty. At baseline, the prevalence of frailty was 31.5%. Over a 4-years the incidence of frailty was 31.8%. After controlling for age, education, ADL and IADL functioning, arthritis, pulmonary disorders, cancer, and self-rated health, vascular depression significantly predicted new cases of frailty. These findings suggest that vascular depression is a prodrome for frailty. The fourth study tested the proposed model using structural modeling. The model demonstrated good overall fit and a significant indirect pathway from vascular depression to mortality through frailty was identified. Results support the proposed theoretical framework and suggest that vascular depression symptoms are associated with a clinical trajectory including more frailty symptoms and shorted remaining lifespan. This finding supports integrated care for geriatric p tients and suggests specific targets for intervention with older patients experiencing vascular depressi n symptoms. %B Psychology %I Wayne State University %C Detroit, MI %V Ph.D. %G English %U https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/oa_dissertations/737/ %M 1431983347 %4 IADLs %$ 69216 %0 Thesis %D 2012 %T Acculturation and depression in older Mexican American adults: The role of social support %A Caballero, Daniela %Y Charles A Guarnaccia %K Adult children %K Demographics %K Healthcare %K Women and Minorities %X Despite socioeconomic disadvantages, less acculturated Mexican Americans tend to exhibit better mental health than their more acculturated counterparts. However, in the case of older Mexican American adults, research has demonstrated the opposite to be true (Gonzalez, Haan, & Hinton, 2001). A variable of interest potentially responsible for this difference is social support. Thus, the current study proposed to investigate the mediation and moderation effects that social support has on the relationship between acculturation and depression in older Mexican American adults age 60 or older. Data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) was analyzed. Results showed that the mediating effect of contact with one's children (-.109*) and the moderating effect of total social support and contact with one's children (-.127*; -.103*) were statistically significant in the relationship between acculturation and depression. Although these effects are small they may still hold important implications for better understanding this population. %I University of North Texas %C Denton, TX %V M.S. %P 90 %G English %U https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc149567/m2/1/high_res_d/thesis.pdf %M prod.academic_MSTAR_1335312481 %4 Socioeconomic Differences %$ 69020 %0 Journal Article %J International Journal of Manpower %D 2012 %T Do discriminatory attitudes to older workers at work affect their retirement intentions? %A Pierre-Jean, Messe %K Employment and Labor Force %K Net Worth and Assets %K Retirement Planning and Satisfaction %K Women and Minorities %X Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether employers' attitudes towards older workers, especially regarding promotions, really affect their retirement intentions, distinguishing between men and women. Design/methodology/approach - First, the author uses the 1992 wave of the Health and Retirement Study to estimate, through a Fields decomposition, the relative contribution of the feeling of an older worker to be discriminated against regarding promotions; and to explain the self-reported probability to work full time after 62, decomposing by gender. Second, using the two first waves of HRS, the author removes any bias due to time-constant unobserved heterogeneity, to test whether the individual feeling of being passed over for promotion may be misreported, owing to a strong preference for leisure. Finally, the author examines the effect of a change in this variable over time on the intentions to exit early. Findings - The Fields decomposition shows that feeling passed over for promotion plays a non-negligible role to predict retirement plans but only for women. In addition, using panel data allows a misreporting bias to be exhibited that may lead to underestimating of the negative effect of discriminatory practices towards older workers on their retirement plans. Lastly, an increase between 1992 and 1994 in the age-discrimination towards older workers encouraged women to leave their job early, while it had no effect on retirement plans of men. Practical implications - Empirical results put forward the idea that retirement intentions may differ across gender, owing to the different nature of the employer-employee relation. While for men, this relation is characterized by delayed-payment arrangements signed ex ante with the employer, as already shown by Adams, it is not true for women. Consequently, the age-based preference of employers for promotion, leading to a lower probability of promotion for older workers, is treated by men as a consequence of ex ante arrangements and does not affect their retirement plans. However, women can attribute such attitudes of their employer to a kind of blatant discrimination, reducing therefore their attachment to their job. Originality/value - The paper presents a longitudinal approach towards the determinants of retirement intentions that allows the unobserved heterogeneity constant over time to be removed and to estimate to what extent the feeling of being passed over for promotion may be attributed, for each gender, to some arrangements signed ex ante with the employer. %B International Journal of Manpower %I 33 %V 33 %P 405-423 %G eng %N 4 %4 Business And Economics/Labor And Industrial Relations/retirement planning/labor force participation/Discrimination/older workers/women %$ 69522 %R 10.1108/01437721211243769 %0 Report %D 2012 %T Dynamic Wage and Employment Effects of Elder Parent Care %A Meghan M. Skira %A Department of Economics %K Consumption and Savings %K Employment and Labor Force %K Healthcare %K Methodology %K Public Policy %K Time Use %K Women and Minorities %X This paper formulates and estimates a dynamic discrete choice model of elder parent care and work to analyze how caregiving affects a woman's current and future labor force participation and wages. Intertemporal tradeoffs, such as decreased future earning capacity due to a current reduction in labor market work, are central to the decision to provide care. The existing literature, however, overlooks such long-term considerations. I depart from the previous literature by modeling caregiving and work decisions in an explicitly intertemporal framework. The model incorporates dynamic elements such as the health of the elderly parent, human capital accumulation and job offer availability. I estimate the model on a sample of women from the Health and Retirement Study by efficient method of moments. The estimates indicate that intertemporal tradeoffs matter considerably. In particular, women face low probabilities of returning to work or increasing work hours after a caregiving spell. Using the estimates, I simulate several government sponsored elder care policy experiments: a longer unpaid leave than currently available under the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993; a paid work leave; and a caregiver allowance. The leaves encourage more work among intensive care providers since they guarantee a woman can return to her job, while the caregiver allowance discourages work. A comparison of the welfare gains generated by the policies shows that half the value of the paid leave can be achieved with the unpaid leave, and the caregiver allowance generates gains comparable to the unpaid leave. %I Boston College %G eng %U URL:http://fmwww.bc.edu/EC-P/WP792.pdf URL %4 Economics of the Elderly/Economics of the Handicapped/Non-labor Market Discrimination/Demographic Economics: Public Policy/Time Allocation--Labor Supply/Model Construction and Estimation/Informal care/employment/dynamic discrete choice/structural estimation/Family and Medical Leave Act %$ 69566 %0 Thesis %D 2012 %T Essays on family demography, household finance, and economics of the family %A Fenaba R. Addo %Y Sassler, Sharon %K Adult children %K Demographics %K Health Conditions and Status %K Healthcare %K Net Worth and Assets %K Public Policy %K Women and Minorities %X This dissertation examines the intersection of financial resources, family demography and economic well-being of American households at transitional periods in the life course. Changes in union formation, the demographic composition of the population, and family structure since the latter part of the twentieth century have challenged existing theories on household formation, individual decision-making, and economic well-being (Bumpass, 1990). With the increase in woman's labor force participation, the rise of cohabitation, pre-marital childbirth, and single-parent households, conventional models used to explain recent trends in marriage market dynamics, intra-household resource allocation, and wealth inequality are continuously tested, challenged, and revamped to keep pace with a society in a current state of demographic and economic flux. Chapter one focuses on early and young adulthood and the role of consumer and education loan debt in transitioning into coresidential relationships using a sample of youth coming of age at the turn of the twenty-first century and during a period of economic expansion, increased college enrollment and growing socioeconomic divide in marital patterns in the United States. Results suggest total debt amount is associated with cohabitation, increasing the odds of cohabitation over marriage and remaining single for both women and men. First marriage is positively associated with greater educational attainment for this cohort of young adults, but women with education loan debt are more likely to delay marrying and cohabit first. Chapter two (co-authored with Daniel T. Lichter) addresses the racial wealth gap by exploring the relationship between marriage and marital histories on wealth accumulation of older Black and White women. Marital and relationship histories are strongly associated with the wealth accumulation process. Women who marry and stay married accumulated levels of wealth that exceeded those of other women with disrupted family lives. The marriage-wealth nexus is sensitive to a women's position in the wealth distribution, and decomposition analyses highlight the non-trivial role of racial disparities in marital histories in accounting for the racial wealth gap. The third and final chapter uses seven waves of individual-level data from the Health and Retirement Survey from 1998-2008 to analyze whether there is a causal effect of being an informal basic needs or financial caregiver to an aging parent on one's health outcomes (self-assessed health and depression) and health behaviors (exercise and smoking). The results suggest a positive effect on depressive symptoms of basic needs caregiving for unmarried adult children, and that they may be selecting into that role because of their poor health. Manifestations of caregiving in future periods include, basic needs caregiving increasing the probability of smoking for married women and financial caregiving increases depressive symptoms for unmarried men. These findings suggest that the financial costs of caregiving can influence adult children's health outcomes, in particular for those not currently in a marital union. %I Cornell University %C Ithaca, NY %V Ph.D. %P 141 %G eng %U https://ecommons.cornell.edu/handle/1813/31034 %M prod.academic_MSTAR_1115315005 %4 socioeconomic Differences %0 Thesis %D 2012 %T Essays on gender and health %A Medalia, Carla %Y Jacobs, Jerry A. %K Demographics %K Expectations %K Health Conditions and Status %K Healthcare %K Methodology %K Women and Minorities %X The relationship between gender and health is complex. Although women live longer than men in almost every country throughout the world, women also tend to be sicker than men. While biological sex differences likely contribute to sex gaps in health, cross-national, historical, and life course variation suggest that social factors also play a role. This dissertation is composed of three chapters which examine social explanations for gender gaps in mortality and morbidity. The first chapter looks at the relationship between gender equality in the public sphere, and sex gaps in life expectancy throughout the world. I find that influence of gender equality on the sex gap in life expectancy depends on the level of economic development. The second chapter takes an historical perspective to examine the trend in the sex gap in depression in the United States between 1971 and 2008. In examining this trend, I find that the sex gap in depression has decreased over the past forty years, due to a decrease in depression among women that is primarily attributable to an increase in women's labor force participation and attachment. In the third chapter, I examine the relationship between gender, aging, and depression using longitudinal data for the population over age fifty in the United States. In doing so, I find that age does not increase depression until age 75, after which point depression increases for both sexes, but particularly for men, leading to a reversal in the sex gap in depression at the end of the lifespan. Furthermore, while the majority of the age effect on depression is explained by social and health changes, I conclude that there is a net effect of age per se on depression after age 75. %I University of Pennsylvania %C Philadelphia, PA %V Ph.D. %G English %U https://repository.upenn.edu/dissertations/AAI3509214/ %M 1019283237 %4 WOMEN %$ 69248 %0 Report %D 2012 %T Financial Sophistication in the Older Population %A Annamaria Lusardi %A Olivia S. Mitchell %A Vilsa Curto %K Consumption and Savings %K Employment and Labor Force %K Event History/Life Cycle %K Net Worth and Assets %K Other %K Public Policy %K Women and Minorities %X This paper examines data on financial sophistication among the U.S. older population, using a special-purpose module implemented in the Health and Retirement Study. We show that financial sophistication is deficient for older respondents (aged 55 ). Specifically, many in this group lack a basic grasp of asset pricing, risk diversification, portfolio choice, and investment fees. Subpopulations with particular deficits include women, the least educated, persons over the age of 75, and non-Whites. In view of the fact that people are increasingly being asked to take on responsibility for their own retirement security, such lack of knowledge can have serious implications. %B NBER Working Paper %I National Bureau of Economic Research %C Cambridge, MA %G eng %4 Numeracy/Financial sophistication/Financial sophistication/Intertemporal Consumer Choice/Life Cycle Models and Saving/Portfolio Choice/Investment Decisions/Investment Decisions/Economics of the Elderly/Economics of the Handicapped/Non-labor Market Discrimination/Public Policy %$ 62868 %R 10.3386/w17863 %0 Thesis %D 2012 %T Gender and racial disparities in cost-related medication nonadherence: The effect of Medicare Part D and factors impacting compliance among older women and Black Americans %A Bakk, Louanne %K Demographics %K Health Conditions and Status %K Medicare/Medicaid/Health Insurance %K Public Policy %K Women and Minorities %X The purpose of this dissertation is to better understand how cost-related medication nonadherence (CRN) has been impacted by the implementation of Medicare Part D. This dissertation is comprised of three discrete empirical manuscripts, with introductory and concluding essays. Cumulative advantage/disadvantage theory was used as a foundation for understanding the effectiveness of Medicare Part D. Longitudinal and cross-sectional analyses were conducted using data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) and the Prescription Drug Study (PDS), a subsample of the HRS, to examine racial and gender differences in CRN before and after the implementation of Medicare Part D and factors associated with the benefit that can potentially impact adherence. In particular, this study addressed the following questions: (1) To what extent do racial and gender disparities in CRN exist since the implementation of Medicare Part D? (2) Do the Medicare Part D Low-Income Subsidy (LIS), coverage gap, and restrictions directly and indirectly affect the relationship between race, gender, and CRN? and (3) How do factors associated with cumulative advantage/disadvantage theory, specifically socioeconomic and health status, directly and indirectly affect the relationship between race, gender, and CRN? The results suggest that older Black Americans and females are more likely to report CRN before and after Medicare Part D than older Whites and males. Applying for the LIS increases the risk of CRN and mediates gender differences. Racial disparities in CRN appear to be driven by having a Medicare Part D plan with a gap in coverage. Poorer health and lower annual income increases the likelihood of CRN, even after controlling for LIS status and Medicare Part D's cost containment provisions. Further, experiencing the coverage gap and restrictions have a direct effect on nonadherence due to cost. The findings provide important insights into Medicare Part D's effectiveness in eliminating racial and gender differentials in CRN. Implications for practice, policy, education, and future research are discussed. %I Michigan State University %C East Lansing, MI %V Ph.D. %G eng %U https://d.lib.msu.edu/etd/830 %4 Medicare Part D %$ 62860 %0 Thesis %D 2012 %T Health Disparities among the U.S. Elderly %A Heesoo Joo %Y Kajal Chatterji Lahiri %K Demographics %K Health Conditions and Status %K Healthcare %K Women and Minorities %X This dissertation examines health disparities related to race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status among the U.S. elderly taking into account empirical challenges including: (1) self-selection and unobserved factors; (2) subjective and objective measures of disease; and (3) attrition bias. Using the 2006 Health and Retirement Study, we find that current estimates of racial/ethnic disparities in awareness of chronic disease are sensitive to self-selection and unobserved factors. Contrary to prior studies reporting that African-Americans are more aware of having hypertension than non-Latino whites, we do not find this conclusion to be true after controlling for self-selection and disease severity. Likewise, prior studies show mixed evidence of racial/ethnic disparities in awareness of diabetes, but after accounting for selection, we find that African-Americans and Latinos are less aware of having diabetes compared to non-Latino whites. Using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 1999-2008, we find that education is not associated with self-reported measures of diabetes and hypertension, and it is positively associated with self-reported high cholesterol. However, there is a strong negative association between education and diabetes and hypertension when we use objective measures. There is no association between education and objective measures of high cholesterol. When we account for the possibility of shared, unmeasured determinants of disease prevalence and diagnosis that are correlated with education, we find that education is negatively associated with having undiagnosed hypertension and diabetes. In addition, we find that trends in cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors, including (1) high blood glucose, (2) high blood pressure, (3) high cholesterol, and (4) smoking, improved over the past two decades among individuals with diabetes, but racial/ethnic and education-related disparities have emerged in some areas. Finally, we estimate income-related health inequality, measured by the concentration index with an unbalanced panel dataset, explicitly accounting for attrition due to mortality, using the RAND version of HRS. We find that income-related health inequality improves as people age, but this improvement primarily comes from the high mortality rate among poorer individuals. A balanced panel dataset analysis generates misleading results of progressive health deterioration, while an unbalanced panel dataset analysis brings out this regressive deterioration. %I State University of New York at Albany %C Albany, NY %V Ph.D. %G English %M 1027764303 %4 racial differences %$ 69542 %0 Report %D 2012 %T How is Economic Hardship Avoided by Those Retiring Before the Social Security Entitlement Age %A Kevin Milligan %K Consumption and Savings %K Income %K Public Policy %K Retirement Planning and Satisfaction %K Social Security %K Women and Minorities %X Governments around the world are reacting to extended lifespans and troubled pension finances by increasing the age of retirement benefit entitlement. One concern that arises is how those who are not working before reaching entitlement age are able to bridge their consumption to the age of entitlement. This paper studies those who retire before the age of full pension entitlement in the United States using data drawn from the Health and Retirement Study. The major finding is that four out of five people who have zero earnings at pre-entitlement ages are able to find a way to lift their incomes over the poverty line. For men, pension and annuity income is important while for women, spousal income helps most to get them over the line. Reaching the early retirement entitlement age at 62 also has a significant impact on poverty avoidance. %B NBER Working Paper %I National Bureau of Economic Research %C Cambridge, MA %G eng %4 Retirement/Retirement Policies/Economics of the Elderly/Economics of the Handicapped/retirement planning/early Retirement/poverty/social Security/entitlement age %$ 69054 %R 10.3386/w18051 %0 Thesis %D 2012 %T Living Well: Empirical Evaluations of Economic Welfare and Subjective Well-Being %A Horner, Elizabeth Mokyr %Y Glaser, Jack %K Adult children %K Employment and Labor Force %K Expectations %K Health Conditions and Status %K Methodology %K Public Policy %K Women and Minorities %X This thesis presents findings from three related but independent research projects on how policies and programs affect subjective well-being and psychological health, both generally and along specific domains. As I discuss in the Introduction (Chapter 1), the subjective experience is an important component of overall welfare, and tools for measuring Subjective Well-Being (SWB) are well validated. These measures are particularly useful when measuring the impact of policies, programs, and decisions for which income is a poor indicator of well-being. The first project, "Subjective Well-Being and Retirement: Analysis and Policy Recommendations" (Chapter 2) examines how individual-level happiness is on average influenced by the transition into retirement. By exploiting discontinuities in retirement incentives in 16 countries, an instrumental variables approach is utilized to estimate retirement so that it is exogenous to individual-level characteristics. Removing selection bias reveals a large, short-term positive effect followed by a steep decline. This supports theories of a multi-stage adjustment to retirement. Further, individuals facing later formal retirement experience a boost in SWB that is roughly equivalent in total value to those individual facing earlier retirement, suggesting that raising the formal retirement age is relatively neutral with regard to SWB in the long-term. The second project, "Whose Fault Is It?: No Fault Divorce and the Decline in Women's Happiness" (Chapter 3) explores the impact of the no-fault revolution, wherein the legal and economic barriers to divorce were drastically reduced in many states throughout the 70s and 80s. I expand upon previous research by including SWB as an important outcome, including overall SWB as well as marital-happiness, a domain-specific SWB measure. I find that women under low-barriers to divorce regimes are significantly less happy than other women, while men are significantly happier. The final project, "Paradox Lost?: Job Satisfaction, Gender Segregation, and the Paradox of the Contented Female Worker" investigates whether gender segregation has played a role in the well-documented "paradox of the contented female worker" (Crosby, 1982), wherein women report higher job satisfaction despite worse work conditions. Job satisfaction is a domain-specific form of SWB which is particularly important from an economic perspective, as high SWB at work is related to better productivity and lower turnover. I find that both men and women are happier in jobs that are dominated by women, suggesting that men and women may on average be making different decisions with regard to satisfaction / income tradeoffs. Although the chapters are meant to be stand-alone essays, in concert these papers argue that: 1) SWB is an important outcome variable and high levels of SWB is an important social goal; and 2) policies affect SWB and therefore SWB must be considered in cost-benefit analyses of policy impacts. %I University of California, Berkeley %V 3555725 %P 118 %8 2012 %G English %U http://search.proquest.com.proxy.lib.umich.edu/docview/1322967851?accountid=14667http://mgetit.lib.umich.edu/?ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&ctx_enc=info:ofi/enc:UTF-8&rfr_id=info:sid/ProQuest+Dissertations+%26+Theses+A%26I&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertat %9 Ph.D. %M 1322967851 %4 women %$ 69232 %! Living Well: Empirical Evaluations of Economic Welfare and Subjective Well-Being %0 Journal Article %J Research on Aging %D 2012 %T A Longitudinal Study of Social Status, Perceived Discrimination, and Physical and Emotional Health Among Older Adults %A Ye Luo %A Jun Xu %A Granberg, E. %A Wentworth, W. %K Demographics %K Employment and Labor Force %K Health Conditions and Status %K Women and Minorities %X This study examines the relationships between social status, perceived discrimination, and physical and emotional health using a nationally representative sample of 6,377 older adults from the 2006 and 2008 waves of the Health and Retirement Study. About 63 of older adults reported at least one type of everyday discrimination and 31 reported at least one major discriminatory event during lifetime. Blacks, those separated, divorced, or widowed, and those with lower household assets have higher levels of perceived discrimination than Whites, the married or partnered, and those with more assets. Perceived discrimination is negatively associated with changes in health over 2 years, and everyday discrimination has stronger effects than major discriminatory events, especially on emotional health. The effects of perceived everyday discrimination on changes in depressive symptoms and self-rated health are independent of general stress. Efforts to reduce discrimination, including perceptions of discrimination, can be beneficial for health in old age. PUBLICATION ABSTRACT %B Research on Aging %I 34 %V 34 %P 275 %G eng %U http://proquest.umi.com.proxy.lib.umich.edu/pqdweb?did=2621993131andFmt=7andclientId=17822andRQT=309andVName=PQD %N 3 %4 Perceptions/Perceptions/Status/Status/Older people/Age discrimination/Blacks/Whites %$ 62853 %0 Thesis %D 2012 %T Neighborhood Conditions and Gender Differences in Depressive Symptoms %A Clinton, Eliva Atieno %Y Carol S Aneshensel %K Demographics %K Health Conditions and Status %K Healthcare %K Methodology %K Public Policy %K Women and Minorities %X Depression is a major public health challenge affecting millions of people worldwide, particularly women. Intra-individual explanations of gender differences in depression include biology (e.g., neurotransmitters, genes, hormones) and psychological factors (e.g., self-concept and esteem, mastery). Social explanations focusing on exposure to stressors (e.g., low socioeconomic status) and social role occupancy (e.g., marital and employment status) also have been considered. The recognition that environmental factors may influence mental health has given rise to studies examining the relationship between neighborhood conditions and risk for depression and psychological distress, but gender differences in neighborhood effects have yet to receive the needed research attention. This dissertation sought an understanding of: (a) gender differences in neighborhood effects on depressive symptoms, and (b) neighborhood influences on variation in depressive symptoms among women. The research is guided by the neighborhood stress process framework focusing on stressors and psychosocial resources as mediators and moderators of the relationships among neighborhood conditions and depressive symptoms. Individual-level cross-sectional data come from the Health and Retirement Survey (HRS: baseline, 2006/2008 interviews and psychosocial questionnaire supplement). The HRS is a U.S. national probability sample of adults over the age of 50. Analyses are performed within a multilevel framework and urban neighborhood data come from the 2000 U.S. Census. Among eight indicators of neighborhood disadvantage, including neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage (NSD), and five measures of neighborhood advantage examined for gender differences in their effects on depressive symptoms, two were statistically significant but not in the expected direction. Neighborhood proportion non-family households was associated with fewer depressive symptoms among women and it had no effect among men. Neighborhood proportion married-couple households was not significantly related to depressive symptoms among women, but among men, living in a neighborhood with more married-couple households with children was associated with fewer symptoms. Overall, the impact on depressive symptoms of neighborhood characteristics do not differ for men and women. Gender differences in neighborhood effects on three individual-level stressors and three individual-level psychosocial resources also were examined. Nine interactions were statistically significant. Consistent with expectations, people who reside in neighborhoods with more vacant housing units perceived more disorder and less social cohesion in their neighborhoods, and the effects were larger for women than men. Relative to men, women's perceptions of neighborhood social cohesion and social support are more sensitive to neighborhood economic conditions. In general, with a few notable exceptions, neighborhood effects on stressors and psychosocial resources do not vary by gender. In analyses that only included women, NSD was positive and significantly associated with depressive symptoms and neighborhood proportion adults aged 65 and older was negative and significantly associated with symptoms. Perceived neighborhood social cohesion fully mediated the effect of NSD--and partially mediated the effect of neighborhood proportion older adults--on depressive symptoms. The effect on depressive symptoms of neighborhood disadvantage did not vary significantly by levels of stressors and psychosocial resources except for three significant cross-level interactions. Living in a neighborhood with more vacant housing units was associated with more depressive symptoms, and the effect was greater among women who perceived high levels of disorder in the neighborhood than those who perceived less disorder. Also as hypothesized, NSD had the largest positive effect on depressive symptoms among women with less social support than women with more support. However, mastery did not funct on as a stress-buffer. The effect on depressive symptoms of neighb rhood advantage varied significantly by psychosocial factors. Living in a neighborhood with higher proportions of older adults was associated with fewer depressive symptoms more so for women who report low levels of perceived neighborhood physical disorder than women who report average levels of disorder. Also consistent with expectations, higher neighborhood proportion of affluent households and owner-occupied housing units were associated with fewer depressive symptoms, and the effects were larger for women with high levels of mastery than women with low mastery. However, these neighborhood characteristics were less beneficial to the mental health of women with high than low levels of social support. The findings from this dissertation largely indicate that relationships among components of the neighborhood stress process model do not differ by gender or by levels of stressors and psychosocial resources. However, the significant results that emerged make a valuable contribution to the research literature by identifying urban neighborhood conditions that are consequential to the mental health of middle-aged and older adults and that should be the target of interventions. %I University of California, Los Angeles %C Los Angeles %V Ph.D. %G English %U https://escholarship.org/uc/item/86f6m7br %M 1151808850 %4 WOMEN %$ 69228 %0 Journal Article %J Journal of the American Medical Directors Association %D 2012 %T Prevalence of Health Conditions and Predictors of Mortality in Oldest Old Mexican Americans and Non-Hispanic Whites %A Samper-Ternent, Rafael %A Kuo, Yong Fang %A Ray, Laura A. %A Ottenbacher, Kenneth J. %A Kyriakos S Markides %A Soham Al Snih %K Cross-National %K Health Conditions and Status %K Immigrants %K Mortality %K Racial/ethnic differences %K Women and Minorities %X Background The oldest old represent a unique group of older adults. This group is rapidly growing worldwide and yet there are gaps in the knowledge related to their health condition. Ethnic differences in disease prevalence and mortality must be understood to better care for the oldest old. Objective To compare prevalence of common health conditions and predictors of mortality in oldest old Mexican Americans and non-Hispanic Whites. Methods This study included 568 community dwelling Mexican Americans (MA) aged 85 years and older from the Hispanic Established Population for the Epidemiological Study of the Elderly (H-EPESE) 2004-2005 and 933 non-Hispanic Whites (NHW) of the same age from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) 2004. Measures included socio-demographic variables, self-reported medical conditions, activities of daily living (ADL), and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL). Logistic regression analysis was used to examine two-year mortality in both populations. Results Heart attack was significantly more prevalent in oldest old NHW compared to MA, regardless of gender. Conversely, diabetes was significantly more prevalent among MA men and women compared to their NHW counterparts. Compared to NHW men MA men had significantly higher prevalence of cognitive impairment and hypertension. Additionally, prevalence of hip fracture was significantly higher for MA women compared to NHW women. Significant differences in ADL disability were observed only between both groups of women while significant differences in IADL disability were only observed between men. MA men and women had higher prevalence of obesity compared to NHW. Predictors of two-year mortality for both ethnic groups included older age, male gender, and ADL disability. Cognitive impairment was only a mortality predictor for NHW. Similarly, lung disease was only a predictor for MA. Conclusion Health related conditions that affect the oldest old vary by gender and ethnicity and entail careful evaluation and monitoring in the clinical setting. Better care requires inclusion of such differences as part of the comprehensive evaluation of oldest old adults. %B Journal of the American Medical Directors Association %V 13 %P 254 - 259 %G eng %N 3 %R 10.1016/j.jamda.2010.07.010 %0 Journal Article %J Research in the Sociology of Work %D 2012 %T Religion and Wealth Across Generations %A Keister, Lisa A. %K Adult children %K Demographics %K Net Worth and Assets %K Women and Minorities %X Purpose -- This chapter explores the relationship between religious affiliation and wealth ownership focusing on generational differences. Methodology -- I use data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth and the Health and Retirement Study to create descriptive statistics and regression analyses of the association between religious affiliation in childhood and adulthood for people of two cohorts. Finding -- This chapter shows that there are important patterns by religious affiliation in total net worth, real assets, and asset allocation across generations. My findings are consistent with past work on religion and wealth ownership showing that Jews, mainline Protestants, and white Catholics tend to have higher total wealth than other groups. In addition, I find that black Protestants, Hispanic Catholics, and conservative Protestants tend to have relatively low wealth, consistent with research on religion, race/ethnicity, and wealth. My findings also show that these patterns are relatively robust across generations. Research implications -- The findings are relevant to research on inequality, wealth accumulation and saving, life course processes, and the effect of religion on stratification outcomes. Originality/Value -- This research shows how religious affiliation and wealth are related across generations. Adapted from the source document. %B Research in the Sociology of Work %I 23 %V 23 %P 131-150 %G eng %4 Church Membership/Protestants/Ownership/Catholics/wealth Accumulation/Generational Differences/Hispanics/socioeconomic Differences %$ 69684 %R 10.1108/s0277-2833(2012)0000023009 %0 Report %D 2012 %T Retirement Security: Older Women Remain at Risk - Statement of Barbara D. Bovbjerg %A United States Governmental Office %K Consumption and Savings %K Health Conditions and Status %K Income %K Public Policy %K Retirement Planning and Satisfaction %K Women and Minorities %X This testimony examines women s retirement income security based on a GAO report that examined (1) how women s access to and participation in employer-sponsored retirement plans compare to men s and how they have changed over time; (2) how women s retirement income compares to men s and how the composition of their income the proportion of income coming from different sources changed with economic conditions and trends in pension design; (3) how later-in-life events affect women s retirement income security; and (4) what policy options are available to help increase women s retirement income security. %I Washington, DC %G eng %4 Public Policy/WOMEN/retirement Saving/retirement planning/Oldest old people/Poverty %$ 69042 %0 Report %D 2012 %T Retirement Security: Women Still Face Challenges %A United States Governmental Office %K Consumption and Savings %K Health Conditions and Status %K Income %K Public Policy %K Retirement Planning and Satisfaction %K Women and Minorities %X This report examines (1) how women s access to and participation in employer-sponsored retirement plans compare to men s and how they have changed over time, (2) how women s retirement income compares to men s and how the composition of their income changed with economic conditions and trends in pension design, (3) how events occurring later in life affect women s retirement income security, and (4) what policy options are available to help increase women s retirement income security. %I Washington, DC, U.S. Government Accountability Office %G eng %U http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-699 %4 Public Policy/WOMEN/retirement Saving/retirement planning/Oldest old people/Poverty %$ 69040 %0 Journal Article %J Research on Aging %D 2012 %T Is There a Hispanic Epidemiologic Paradox in Later Life? A Closer Look at Chronic Morbidity %A Zhang, Zhenmei %A Mark D Hayward %A Lu, Chuntian %K Demographics %K Health Conditions and Status %K Healthcare %K Women and Minorities %X This study examined the morbidity patterns of foreign-born Hispanics, U.S.-born Hispanics, Blacks, and Whites aged 53 years and older using seven self-reported physician-diagnosed chronic diseases as well as six biomarkers. Drawing on the 2006 Health and Retirement Study and its biomarker data, the authors found that foreign-born Hispanics had comparable or lower rates of high blood pressure, heart disease, cancer, arthritis, chronic lung disease, and stroke, controlling for age and gender. The health advantages were robust when socioeconomic conditions and health behaviors were controlled. Foreign-born Hispanics were not significantly different from U.S.-born Hispanics except for a lower risk for arthritis. In terms of biomarkers, foreign-born Hispanics were not statistically different from Whites except for having higher risks of high systolic blood pressure and blood glucose. Future research should explore multiple factors contributing to the lower rates of major chronic diseases among older Hispanics who have faced social disadvantages over the life course. PUBLICATION ABSTRACT %B Research on Aging %I 34 %V 34 %P 548-571 %G eng %N 5 %4 Gerontology And Geriatrics/morbidity/health indicators/hispanics/foreign-born/socioeconomic Differences/hispanics/african Americans/chronic Diseases %$ 69606 %R 10.1177/0164027511429807 %0 Report %D 2012 %T Were They Prepared for Retirement? Financial Status at Advanced Ages in the HRS and AHEAD Cohorts %A James M. Poterba %A Steven F Venti %A David A Wise %K Consumption and Savings %K Employment and Labor Force %K Event History/Life Cycle %K Net Worth and Assets %K Women and Minorities %X Many analysts have considered whether households approaching retirement age have accumulated enough assets to be well prepared for retirement. In this paper, we shift from studying household finances at the start of the retirement period, an ex ante measure of retirement preparation, to studying the asset holdings of households in their last years of life. The analysis is based on Health and Retirement Study with special attention to Asset and Health Dynamics Among the Oldest Old (AHEAD) cohort that was first surveyed in 1993. We consider the level of assets that households hold in the last survey wave preceding their death. We study how assets at the end of life depend on three family status pathways prior to death--(1) original one-person households in 1993, (2) persons in two-person household in 1993 with a deceased spouse in the last year observed, and (3) persons in two-person households in 1993 with the spouse alive when last observed. We find that a substantial fraction of persons die with virtually no financial assets--46.1 percent with less than 10,000--and many of these households also have no housing wealth and rely almost entirely on Social Security benefits for support. In addition this group is disproportionately in poor health. Based on a replacement rate comparison, many of these households may be deemed to have been well-prepared for retirement, in the sense that their income in their final years was not substantially lower than their income in their late 50s or early 60s. Yet with such low asset levels, they would have little capacity to pay for unanticipated needs such as health expenses or other financial shocks or to pay for entertainment, travel, or other activities. This raises a question of whether the replacement ratio is a sufficient statistic for the adequacy of retirement preparation. %I National Bureau of Economic Research %G eng %U URL:http://www.nber.org/papers/w17824.pdf URL %4 Asset accumulation/Personal Finance/Intertemporal Consumer Choice/Life Cycle Models and Saving/Economics of the Elderly/Economics of the Handicapped/Non-labor Market Discrimination %$ 62866 %0 Journal Article %J Journal of Public Economics %D 2012 %T Workers' Compensation and Consumption Smoothing %A Bronchetti, Erin Todd %K Adult children %K Consumption and Savings %K Disabilities %K Employment and Labor Force %K Health Conditions and Status %K Public Policy %K Women and Minorities %X This paper investigates the consumption-smoothing benefits of state workers' compensation (WC) programs. These programs are among the largest and most controversial forms of social insurance, with the putative purpose of supporting families affected by unexpected income shocks due to workplace injuries and illnesses. Using Health and Retirement Study (HRS) data for a sample of workers who have experienced a work-related, work-limiting disability, I find that a 10 increase in WC benefit generosity offsets the drop in household consumption upon injury by 3 to 5 . Moreover, my estimates imply that if benefits were very low, the drop in consumption upon injury would be in the range of 30 . A model adapted from the literature on optimal social insurance yields a formula for the optimal level of WC benefits, which depends on empirical estimates of the consumption-smoothing parameter. My calculations suggest that current WC benefit levels are somewhat higher than optimal. %B Journal of Public Economics %I 96 %V 96 %P 495-508 %G eng %N 5-6 %4 Consumer Economics: Empirical Analysis/Consumer Economics: Empirical Analysis/Saving/Economics of the Elderly,/Economics of the Handicapped/Job Satisfaction/Public Sector/Labor Markets/Consumption/Disability/Disability/Households/Injury %$ 69426 %R 10.1016/j.jpubeco.2011.12.005 %0 Report %D 2011 %T The Composition and Draw-down of Wealth in Retirement %A James M. Poterba %A Steven F Venti %A David A Wise %K Consumption and Savings %K Employment and Labor Force %K Event History/Life Cycle %K Women and Minorities %X This paper presents evidence on the resources available to households as they enter retirement. It draws heavily on data collected by the Health and Retirement Study and calculates the potential additional annuity income that households could purchase, given their holdings of non-annuitized financial assets at the start of retirement. Even if households used all of their financial assets inside and outside personal retirement accounts to purchase a life annuity, only 47 percent of households between the ages of 65 and 69 in 2008 could increase their life-contingent income by more than 5,000 per year. At the upper end of the wealth distribution, however, a substantial number of households could make large annuity purchases. The paper also considers the role of housing equity in the portfolios of retirement-age households, and explores the extent to which households draw down housing equity and financial assets as they age. Many households appear to treat housing equity and non-annuitized financial assets as precautionary savings, tending to draw them down only when they experience a shock such as the death of a spouse or a period of substantial medical outlays. Because home equity is often conserved until very late in life, for many households it may provide some insurance against the risk of living longer than expected. %B NBER Working Paper %I National Bureau of Economic Research %C Cambridge, MA %G eng %4 Personal Finance/Intertemporal Consumer Choice/Life Cycle Models and Saving/Economics of the Elderly/Economics of the Handicapped/Non-labor Market Discrimination %$ 62801 %R 10.3386/w17536 %0 Report %D 2011 %T The Effects of Changes in Women s Labor Market Attachment on Redistribution Under the Social Security Benefit Formula %A Alan L Gustman %A Thomas L. Steinmeier %A N. Tabatabai %K Employment and Labor Force %K Income %K Pensions %K Social Security %K Women and Minorities %X Studies using data from the early 1990s suggested that while the progressive Social Security benefit formula succeeded in redistributing benefits from individuals with high earnings to individuals with low earnings, it was much less successful in redistributing benefits from households with high earnings to households with low earnings. Wives often earned much less than their husbands. As a result, much of the redistribution at the individual level was effectively from high earning husbands to their own lower earning wives. In addition, spouse and survivor benefits accrue disproportionately to women from high income households. Both factors mitigate redistribution at the household level. This paper compares outcomes for the earlier cohort with those of a cohort born twelve years later. With greater growth in women's earnings, the aim of the study is to see whether, after the recent growth in two earner households, and the growth in women's labor market activity and earnings, the Social Security system now fosters somewhat more redistribution from high to low earning households. We use data from the Health and Retirement Study to study a population consisting of members of households with at least one person age 51 to 56 in either 1992 or in 2004. We use four different measures of redistribution: the ratio of the present value of benefits to taxes for households arrayed by decile of covered earnings; the fraction of total Social Security benefits redistributed from households with high earnings to those with low earnings; the share of total benefits paid to members of each cohort redistributed from households falling in the highest deciles of earners to those with lower covered earnings; and the rate of return to Social Security taxes for members with different amounts of covered earnings. Considering differences in earnings between cohorts, women enjoyed a more rapid growth of labor force participation, hours of work and covered earnings than men. This increased the redistribution of Social Security benefits among households. Nevertheless, a considerable gap remains between the labor market activities and earnings of women versus men. As a result, the Social Security system remains much less successful in redistributing benefits from households with high covered earnings to those with lower covered earnings than in redistributing benefits from individuals with high covered earnings to those with lower covered earnings. %B Michigan Retirement and Disability Research Center Working Paper %I Michigan Retirement and Disability Research Center, University of Michigan %C Ann Arbor, MI %G eng %U https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/handle/2027.42/86250/wp248.pdf?sequence=1 %4 social Security/benefit Formulas/Redistribution/labor Force Participation/women %$ 62644 %0 Report %D 2011 %T Inter-Vivos Giving Over the Lifecycle %A Michael D Hurd %A James P Smith %A Julie M Zissimopoulos %K Adult children %K Consumption and Savings %K Employment and Labor Force %K Event History/Life Cycle %K Women and Minorities %X Inter-vivos cash transfers and bequests between family members total hundreds of billions of dollars each year. They may equalize resources within a generation of a family as well as across family generations. Transfers delayed to the end of life may represent a significant motive for saving. The authors use longitudinal data from the Health and Retirement Study on inter-vivos transfers that span up to twelve years to: describe financial transfers made by parents to children and their correlation with donor characteristics, examine age patterns in giving behavior, the persistence of transfers, and how transfers change in response to changes in marital status, economic status and health. Their empirical analysis is motivated by a dynamic life-cycle model with intervivos transfers as an argument in the utility function which generates hypotheses about the age pattern of transfers and how mortality risk, risk aversion and economic resources affect giving behavior. %B RAND Working Paper %I RAND Corporation %C Santa Monica, CA %G eng %4 Intertemporal Consumer Choice/Life Cycle Models and Saving/Economics of the Elderly/Economics of the Handicapped/Non-labor Market Discrimination/Intergenerational transfers/life-cycle consumption/household behavior %$ 62874 %R https://doi.org/10.7249/WR524-1 %0 Thesis %D 2011 %T Psychosocial determinants of diabetic control and satisfaction with diabetes care %A Dzivakwe, V. %K Demographics %K Health Conditions and Status %K Healthcare %K Public Policy %K Women and Minorities %X Diabetes mellitus affects 7.8% of the American population. National health statistic data and other research shows that racial/ethnic disparities exist in terms of prevalence and treatment outcomes. The present study investigated the role of patient health beliefs (i.e., locus of control, self-efficacy) and the doctor-patient relationship (e.g., satisfaction and collaboration with health care provider), as relative predictors of diabetic control (i.e., HbA1c levels) and overall satisfaction with diabetes care, in older adult participants with diabetes. Demographic, psychosocial, and diabetes-related data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) 2003 Diabetes Study were analyzed to compare treatment outcomes among non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black, and Hispanic individuals with various types of diabetes. Non-Hispanic White individuals exhibited better diabetic control than their minority counterparts ( F (2, 592) = 7.60, p < .001); however, no significant group differences were noted in terms of psychosocial factors. Diabetic control was best predicted by time since diagnosis (² = -.21, p < .001), satisfaction with diabetes self-care (² = .19, p < .001) and age (² = .12, p < .01). In addition, satisfaction with provider care was best predicted by perceived collaboration with provider (² = .44, p < .001), satisfaction with diabetes self-care (² = .22, p < .001) and diabetes self-efficacy (² = .08, p < .05). Recommendations for future research were discussed. %I University of North Texas %C Denton, TX %V M.S. %P 104 %G eng %4 health Care %$ 62799 %! Psychosocial determinants of diabetic control and satisfaction with diabetes care %0 Thesis %D 2011 %T Successful Aging and Obesity: Social and Developmental Heterogeneity in Trajectories of Body Weight from Middle to Older Ages %A Anda Botoseneanu %K Health Conditions and Status %K Healthcare %K Women and Minorities %X Obesity is increasingly prevalent among older adults, yet little is known about the distribution of long-term trajectories of body-weight in this age group. The three essays included in this dissertation aim to depict the trajectories of body-mass index (BMI) from middle to old age and to examine social and behavioral variations in these trajectories. Eight waves (1992-2006) of the Health and Retirement Study involving a nationally representative cohort of Americans aged 51 to 61 years at baseline were used. Changes in BMI were analyzed using alternatively hierarchical linear modeling or semiparametric mixture modeling, with adjustment for time-constant and time-varying covariates. First study finds that over 14 years, respondents followed a linearly increasing BMI trajectory. Compared with Caucasians, African-Americans had higher BMI levels, while Hispanics had similar BMI levels, but lower rates of increase over time. Higher education predicted lower BMI levels and was not associated with the rate of change. Older age-at-baseline predicted lower BMI levels and lower rates of increase. No gender differences were found. The second study shows that smoking and vigorous physical activity (user status and initiation) were associated with significantly lower BMI trajectories over time. Cessation of smoking and physical activity resulted in higher BMI trajectories over time. The weight-gaining effect of smoking cessation increased during the study period, while the strength of association between BMI trajectories and PA or alcohol use were constant. In the third study, five distinct BMI trajectories are identified, differing primarily in their intercept: normal BMI trajectory (19.9% of sample), overweight (43.8%), borderline-obese (25.4%), obese (8.9%), and morbidly-obese (2.1%). Each trajectory showed an upward trend over the study period, although the rate-ofincrease varied between trajectories. Compared with Whites, Blacks and Hispanics had greater probabilities of membership in the higher BMI trajectory groups. Females had approximately half the risk of following the overweight and obese BMI trajectories compared with males. In conclusion, significant racial/ethnic, gender and educational heterogeneity in BMI trajectories exists in older adults. Health behaviors provide beneficial modifications in BMI trajectories. Tailoring of public health and clinical interventions to trajectory group characteristics may reduce obesity-related health disparities in aging. %I University of Michigan %C Ann Arbor, MI %V Ph.D. %P 172 %G eng %U http://hdl.handle.net/2027.42/86419 %4 Physical Activity %$ 62624 %0 Thesis %B Family, Consumer and Human Development %D 2010 %T Black-White differences in wealth accumulation among Americans nearing retirement %A Shin, Eun Hyei %Y Lee, Yoon G. %K Public Policy %K Women and Minorities %X Using data from the 2006 Health and Retirement Study (HRS), this study examines what types of assets and levels of savings are held by Black near-retirees, while comparing how types of assets and levels of savings of Black near-retirees differ from those of White near-retirees. Through the use of multivariate analyses, this study further investigates the effects of being Black on the levels of savings, the likelihood of holding IRAs, and the likelihood of being financially prepared for retirement. The study sample includes 4,077 individuals between the ages of 51 and 64, and the subsamples consist of 680 Black and 3,397 White near-retirees. Descriptive findings suggest that Black near-retirees hold lower levels of financial assets (i.e., checking accounts, CDs, stocks, bonds, and other savings) and non-financial assets (i.e., business, real estate, vehicles, and residential home) compared to their White counterparts. The descriptive results further indicate that overall, the level of net worth, holding IRAs, and the investment assets-to-net worth ratio for Black near-retirees are lower than that for White near-retirees. The results from both the ordinary least squares (OLS) regression and the logistic regression analyses indicate that with all else being equal, being Black is a significant factor in predicting the levels of savings, the likelihood of holding retirement accounts, and the likelihood of being financially prepared for retirement among near-retirees aged 51-64. This study also explores how human capital factors and socioeconomic factors are associated with the levels of savings among Black Americans aged 51-64. The OLS results suggest that Blacks with higher education and longer job tenure, and who are married hold higher levels of net worth than other Blacks. The logit results indicate that Black near-retirees with a college education are more likely to hold IRAs; those with longer job tenure are more likely to hold IRAs; and those in the top income quartile are more likely to hold IRAs. The findings of the logit results also indicate that Black near-retirees with some college education, longer job tenure, and those in the higher income groups are more likely to be financially prepared for retirement. %B Family, Consumer and Human Development %I Utah State University %V M.S. %P 117 %G eng %U http://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1799&context=etd&sei-redir=1#search=%22BLACK-WHITE+DIFFERENCES+IN+WEALTH+ACCUMULATION+AMONG+AMERICANS+NEARING+RETIREMENT%22 %L newpubs20110418_Shin.pdf %4 Finance %$ 24920 %! Black-White differences in wealth accumulation among Americans nearing retirement %0 Thesis %B Medical Branch Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences %D 2010 %T Changes in the prevalence of cognitive impairment among older Americans, 1993--2004: Overall trends and differences by race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status %A Kristen M. H. Sheffield %Y M. Kristen Peek %K Demographics %K Health Conditions and Status %K Women and Minorities %X Research indicates that the health of the older population in the United States, as measured by most dimensions, has improved over the past two decades. Population-level changes in health have been attributed to increases in education and income and improvements in the treatment and control of disease. Recent research suggests that rates of cognitive impairment have declined as well; however, results have been inconsistent and most studies have included only two time points in the analysis. This project used data from six waves of the Health and Retirement Study to achieve the following aims: (1) determine if the prevalence of cognitive impairment among older adults declined from 1993 to 2004, and (2) determine if the pattern of change in cognitive impairment was consistent across racial/ethnic and socioeconomic groups. Analyses investigated whether changes in demographic, socioeconomic, and health status and behavior variables contributed to overall and group-specific trends. Sampling weights applied to each wave of data enabled merged waves to represent comparable cross-sections of the community-dwelling older population in the United States in each respective year of study. Logistic regression analyses employing cognitive impairment as the dependent variable and a time trend variable as the key independent variable were used to analyze trends. Results showed an annual decline in the prevalence of cognitive impairment of -3.4% per year, adjusting for changes in the age and gender distributions of the population as well as prior test exposure. Increases in educational attainment in the population accounted for the trend. Racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in the prevalence of cognitive impairment decreased considerably between 1993 and 2004. Declines in the prevalence of cognitive impairment were greater for blacks and Hispanics compared to whites and for lower education and wealth groups compared to more advantaged groups. Overall and group-specific trends did not appear to be due to selection bias resulting from changes in rates of mortality or attrition of HRS respondents over time. Improvements in the socioeconomic status of the population have contributed to declines in the prevalence of cognitive impairment among older adults--particularly blacks and Hispanics--in the United States. %B Medical Branch Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences %I The University of Texas %V Ph.D. %P 210 %G eng %9 Dissertation %4 socioeconomic Status %$ 24020 %! Changes in the prevalence of cognitive impairment among older Americans, 1993--2004: Overall trends and differences by race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status %0 Journal Article %J Hallym International Journal of Aging %D 2010 %T Chronic Health Problems and Depressive Symptoms among Older Women in the U.S %A Lee, Yoon G. %A Susan L. Brown %K Demographics %K Health Conditions and Status %K Women and Minorities %X Using data from the 2004 Health and Retirement Study (HRS), this study looked at the role of chronic health problems in perpetuating depressive symptoms and investigated socio-economic factors associated with the levels of depressive symptoms for older women aged 65 and above. As expected, chronic health problems were significantly related to the levels of depressive symptoms among older women. This study concludes that more chronic diseases and poorer perceived physical health affected higher levels of depressive symptoms for elderly women. In addition, the findings of this study suggest that having lower levels of wealth, being non-married, and having less education were significant predictors of higher levels of depressive symptoms among older women. Keywords: chronic diseases, depression, population aging, women. Adapted from the source document. %B Hallym International Journal of Aging %I 12 %V 12 %P 11-26 %G eng %N 1 %4 chronic Disease/depression/socioeconomic Factors/WOMEN/population aging %$ 23270 %R 10.2190/HA.12.1.b %0 Thesis %D 2010 %T Determinants and Implications of Mortality Risk at the End of the Life Cycle %A Edwin S. Wong %K Consumption and Savings %K Employment and Labor Force %K End of life decisions %K Health Conditions and Status %K Time Use %K Women and Minorities %X The primary goal of this dissertation is to investigate the impacts of survival uncertainty on outcomes relevant to older Americans. While objective measures of life expectancy are useful in explaining economic outcomes, this dissertation also highlights the importance of subjective measures. In particular, results suggest survival beliefs provide otherwise unobservable information that better predict outcomes. Chapter one employs a Life Cycle model, showing that households smooth consumption and labor supply. Specifically, a longer expected lifetime is associated with the delay of consumption into the future and substitution of hours worked to the present. The second chapter develops a model for purchases of life insurance by older households and tests for the presence of marital bargaining power. Results indicate that increasing the relative bargaining power of the husband reduces the size of the insurance policy taken against the husband's life, and increases insurance taken on his wife's life. In other words, the household reallocates resources to states of nature that the husband places greater weight, and purchases insurance to guarantee adequate resources for funding optimal consumption in the event of the wife's death. Furthermore, results show systematic differences in the effect of survival uncertainty on life insurance purchases. In particular, life insurance purchases are decreasing with objective survival probabilities, but are increasing with subjective measures, suggesting the presence of asymmetric information. The secondary goal of this dissertation is to extend the literature examining the determinants of adult mortality. The third chapter examines the impacts of family characteristics such as parental and sibling on adult mortality at the objective level using survey data from the Health and Retirement Study. Using a competing risk model that controls for correlation between individual death and survey non-response, I find evidence that individuals with longer lived parents exhibit lower mortality risk. Increases in parental age not only affect mortality through increasing the predisposition to survive, but also through positive information from knowledge of extended parental survival and positive social relationships formed. Also, I find individuals with higher vitality and a higher opportunity cost to completing the survey are less likely to respond in future survey waves. %I University of Washington %V Ph.D. %8 2010 %G English %M 1143077 %4 Mortality %$ 24480 %! Determinants and Implications of Mortality Risk at the End of the Life Cycle %0 Report %D 2010 %T Does Stock Market Performance Influence Retirement Expectations? %A Gopi Shah Goda %A John B. Shoven %A Sita Nataraj Slavov %K Consumption and Savings %K Employment and Labor Force %K Net Worth and Assets %K Retirement Planning and Satisfaction %K Women and Minorities %X While media reports predicted substantial changes in labor supply behavior due to the sharp decline in the value of the stock market in October 2008, empirical evidence on the relationship between equity markets and retirement is mixed. We use panel data from the Health and Retirement Study to investigate the relationship between stock market performance and plans for retirement during 1998-2008, a period that includes the recent financial crisis, by exploiting within-year variation in the SandP 500 index across plausibly exogenous dates of interview. While we do detect a statistically significant negative relationship between the reported probability of working full-time at age 62 and the SandP 500 index in the most recent years of our study period, we do not find strong evidence that changes in equity markets influence changes in retirement plans over the period as a whole. We conclude that the higher probabilities of working reported in recent years were likely due to factors other than stock market performance, such as pessimism about economic security more generally. %B NBER Working Paper %I National Bureau of Economic Research %C Cambridge, MA %G eng %4 Economics of the Elderly/Economics of the Handicapped/Non-labor Market Discrimination/Retirement, Retirement Policies/stock Market/retirement Planning %$ 23910 %R 10.3386/w16211 %0 Journal Article %J Gender and Society %D 2010 %T Economic Dependence in Marriage and Husbands' Midlife Health : Testing Three Possible Mechanisms %A Kristen W Springer %K Adult children %K Demographics %K Income %K Other %K Women and Minorities %X Prior research suggests that midlife husbands have worse health when they earn less than their wives; however the mechanism(s) for this relationship have not been evaluated. In this study, the author analyzes 1,319 heterosexual married couples from the Health and Retirement Study to explore three theoretically grounded mechanisms. The author begins by assessing two well-established family relations theories (economic resource and marital dissatisfaction) to explore the mediating effect of marital power and relationship quality. The author then draws from gender relations theory, multiple masculinities literature, and cognitive dissonance research to test the possibility of a male breadwinner mechanism. The results demonstrate that family relations theories are insufficient explanations but provide strong support for the male breadwinner mechanism. Specifically, being the secondary earner is harmful for the health of highest-income men--who historically have the strongest expectation of male breadwinning. These findings suggest that stereotypes about male breadwinning can be dangerous for men's health. %B Gender and Society %I 24 %V 24 %P 378-401 %G eng %N 3 %4 Families/family life/Masculinity/Husbands/Sex roles/stereotypes/WOMEN/income %$ 23400 %R https://doi.org/10.1177/0891243210371621 %0 Report %D 2010 %T Employment Patterns and Determinants Among Older Individuals with a History of Short-Duration Jobs %A Kevin E. Cahill %A Michael D. Giandrea %A Joseph F. Quinn %K Consumption and Savings %K Employment and Labor Force %K Net Worth and Assets %K Pensions %K Public Policy %K Retirement Planning and Satisfaction %K Social Security %K Women and Minorities %X Many studies of labor force withdrawal patterns have focused on individuals who have had career jobs. This paper compares the demographic and economic characteristics of individuals who have never had a full-time career (FTC) job with those who have, and compares the timing and types of job switches that both groups make later in life. The comparison between non-FTC and FTC individuals is important because decisions by policymakers based on the existing retirement literature may have unintended consequences for individuals with only a series of short-duration jobs. We use a sample of respondents from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) who have worked since age 50, and stratify respondents according to whether an individual has ever had a job that consists of 1,600 or more hours per year and lasts for at least ten years (i.e., a full-time career job). We find that individuals without FTC jobs are a heterogeneous group, representing individuals in many wage and occupational categories. Not surprisingly, we also find that individuals without FTC jobs are less likely than those with FTC jobs to be working in subsequent survey years. However, we find that the labor force withdrawal patterns of non-FTC individuals are similar to those of FTC individuals in many respects. In particular, individuals without FTC jobs change jobs later in life just as frequently as those with FTC jobs. Switching rates between wage-and-salary employment to self-employment and between white-collar and blue-collar jobs are largely similar by FTC status, as are reductions in wages later in life. Overall, the findings reveal that the work decisions later in life of individuals who have never had career employment are diverse, just as they are for individuals with career jobs. %B U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Working Papers %I U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics %C Washington, D.C. %V 440 %G eng %U https://www.bls.gov/osmr/research-papers/2010/ec100080.htm %N 33 %4 Retirement, Retirement Policies/Economics of the Elderly/Economics of the Handicapped/Non-labor Market Discrimination/Nonwage Labor Costs and Benefits/Private Pensions/Social Security/Public Pensions/Economics of Aging/Bridge Jobs/Gradual Retirement %$ 23940 %0 Thesis %D 2010 %T Essays on race/ethnic variations in the dynamics of chronic diseases among middle and old aged Americans %A A. R. Quinones %Y Jersey Liang %K Demographics %K Health Conditions and Status %K Healthcare %K Public Policy %K Women and Minorities %X This dissertation is composed of three empirical papers on ethnic disparities in chronic disease morbidity. The first paper analyzes intra- and interpersonal differences in comorbidity burden reported by white, black and Mexican Americans. Data come from Health and Retirement Study (HRS) participants aged 51 and over from 1995-2006. Hierarchical linear models are employed to analyze ethnic variations in temporal changes of reported comorbidities. On average, participants have nearly two chronic diseases at the baseline, which increased to almost three conditions over 11 years. Mexican Americans demonstrate lower initial levels and slower accumulation of comorbidities relative to whites. In contrast, blacks show an elevated level of comorbidity, although their rate of change decelerated over time relative to whites. The second paper examines ethnic variations in the onset of hypertension diagnosis for white, black and Mexican Americans age 51 and over. Data came from HRS respondents who report being hypertension-free at the baseline for up to five time intervals (1995-2006). Discrete-time survival models are used to analyze ethnic variations in the probability of developing hypertension. We find the risk of newly diagnosed hypertension increased for all participants. Relative to white and Mexican Americans, black Americans had an elevated risk of incident hypertension throughout the 11-year period of observation. These variations persisted even when differences in health behaviors, socioeconomic status, demographic, and time-varying health characteristics were adjusted. The third paper examines the onset of diabetes mellitus diagnosis for HRS participants 51 and over who report being free of diabetes at the baseline. Discrete-time survival models are used to analyze ethnic variations in the probability of developing diabetes in up to five time intervals (1995-2006). We find the risk of newly diagnosed diabetes increased for all study participants. Relative to white and black Americans, Mexican Americans have a significantly elevated risk of diabetes. Increases in diabetes incidence for Mexican Americans persist through adjustment of health behaviors, socioeconomic status, demographic characteristics and changing health status. In contrast, increases in incident risk for black Americans relative to white Americans operate largely through changes in time-varying health status. Our findings of continued racial and ethnic disparities in chronic disease burden as well as hypertension and diabetes mellitus incidence suggest there are still improvements to be made in prevention efforts aimed at middle and older aged minorities. These empirical papers highlight the importance of social and structural factors as critical policy levers for mitigating chronic disease burden as well as reducing the elevated risk of two pervasive chronic diseases for minorities in the U.S. %I University of Michigan %V Ph.D. %P 139 %8 2010 %G eng %U https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/handle/2027.42/77913 %9 Dissertation %L AAT 3429238 %4 MORBIDITY %$ 24250 %! Essays on race/ethnic variations in the dynamics of chronic diseases among middle and old aged Americans %0 Thesis %B Social Work %D 2010 %T The impact of cumulative socioeconomic inequalities on physical functioning, self-rated health, and depression among older adults %A Kim, Jinhyun %Y Virginia E. Richardson %K Demographics %K Health Conditions and Status %K Healthcare %K Other %K Women and Minorities %X Socioeconomic inequalities have been viewed as significant contributors to health disparities. However, little is known about the impact of cumulative socioeconomic inequalities on physical functioning, self-rated health, and depression across time, especially in later life. In addition, despite a strong connection between socioeconomic inequalities and the presence of private health insurance, few studies have examined how lack of private health insurance affects individuals' health trajectories. Thus, this study focuses on the impact of socioeconomic inequalities and lack of private health insurance on physical functioning, self-rated health, and depression using longitudinal panel data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS). The latent growth curve model was conducted in three steps: unconditional model, conditional model, and multiple group analysis. First, the unconditional growth curve model presented that individuals' physical functioning, self-rated health, and depression tend to worsen as people age. However, significant variability in the initial level of health outcomes and their rate of change among individuals were found. Second, the conditional growth curve model was conducted to test potential covariate effects on this variability. Results from the conditional model showed that higher level of income and assets significantly predicted better physical functioning and self-rated health but less depressive symptoms. In particular, increases in income or assets significantly predicted slower worsening in physical functioning, self-rated health, and depression. However, iii higher level of education was a significant predictor for better self-rated health and less depression at baseline but not for physical functioning. In addition, having private health insurance significantly predicted better physical functioning, self-rated health, and less depressive symptoms at baseline. In particular, decline in physical functioning was slower among those who have private health insurance over time. Third, the multiple group analysis was conducted to examine potential moderating effects of gender and race on health trajectories. Results from the multiple group analysis showed that economic status had greater impact on females' declines in physical functioning, self-rated health, and depression than on males'. Despite lower initial level of physical functioning and self-rated health among Blacks than among Whites, they were less likely to suffer rapid declines in physical functioning and self-rated health after controlling for socioeconomic status. These results indicated that Blacks might have resilience factors such as religious activities and social support networks buffer health declines. Specific implications for social policy, practice, and research are discussed. %B Social Work %I The Ohio State University %V Ph.D. %P 136 %8 2010 %G eng %9 Dissertation %L AAT 3424581 %4 SELF-RATED HEALTH %$ 24280 %! The impact of cumulative socioeconomic inequalities on physical functioning, self-rated health, and depression among older adults %0 Journal Article %J International Journal of Manpower %D 2010 %T The Influences on Bridge Employment Decisions %A Pengcharoen, Chanjira %A Kenneth S. Shultz %K Consumption and Savings %K Demographics %K Employment and Labor Force %K Other %K Retirement Planning and Satisfaction %K Time Use %K Women and Minorities %X Population aging, and changes in labor force participation among older adults, will have tremendous impacts on the aging workforce. Thus it is imperative that the factors that influence whether older workers will continue in their career employment, engage in bridge employment, or fully retire, should be understood better. This paper aims to focus on these issues. In the present study longitudinal data for 2,869 older workers from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) data set in the USA were used to examine the influence of demographic (e.g., income), nonwork related factors (e.g., marital satisfaction), and work related factors (e.g., job involvement) on late-life employment decisions over a ten year period from 1992 to 2002. The results indicate a wide variety of factors impact employment decisions later in life. Specifically, it was found that work related factors of job involvement and schedule flexibility, as well as the nonwork related factors of certainty of retirement plans, attitudes toward retirement, and job seeking self-efficacy all distinguished the various employment statuses (e.g., completely retired, partly retirement, and not retired at all) of older workers over a ten year period. %B International Journal of Manpower %I 31 %V 31 %P 322-336 %G eng %N 3 %4 Economics of the Elderly/Economics of the Handicapped/Non-labor Market Discrimination/Time Allocation--Labor Supply/Retirement, Retirement Policies/Demographics/Labor Force Participation/Older Workers/Participation/Retirement/Workforce %$ 23970 %R https://doi.org/10.1108/01437721011050602 %0 Report %D 2010 %T Psychological Adjustment To Widowhood: The Role Of Income, Wealth And Time %A Karen C. Holden %A Jeungkun Kim %A Beatriz Novak %K Net Worth and Assets %K Women and Minorities %X This paper uses data from two longitudinal surveys to examine the relationship between psychological well-being and financial well-being of older women and men, with specific interest in differences by marital status and duration of widowhood. The Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (WLS) provides a look at the consequences of relatively early widowhood. The Health and Retirement Study (HRS) has interviewed a representative sample of individuals 50 and older over the last two decades. We use the data from that survey to examine the adjustment to widow(er)hood over a larger age range, but with likely less precision to measure differences among women of a single age. %I Society of Actuaries Pension Section Research Committee %G eng %U https://www.soa.org/globalassets/assets/Files/Research/Projects/research-2010-widowhood.pdf %4 Widowhood/WOMEN/wealth %$ 25940 %0 Report %D 2010 %T The Role of Re-entry in the Retirement Process %A Michael D. Giandrea %A Kevin E. Cahill %A Joseph F. Quinn %K Consumption and Savings %K Employment and Labor Force %K Net Worth and Assets %K Pensions %K Retirement Planning and Satisfaction %K Social Security %K Women and Minorities %X To what extent do older Americans re-enter the labor force after an initial exit and what drives these unretirement decisions? Retirement for most older Americans with full-time career jobs is not a one-time, permanent event. Labor force exit is more likely to be a process. Prior studies have found that between one half and two thirds of career workers take at least one other job before exiting from the labor force completely. The transitional nature of retirement may be even more pronounced when considering the impact of re-entry. This paper examines the extent to which older Americans with career jobs re-entered the labor force. The analysis is based on data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), an ongoing, longitudinal survey of older Americans that began in 1992. We examined the retirement patterns of a subset of 5,617 HRS respondents who were on a full-time career job at the time of the first interview. Logistic regression was used to explore determinants of re-entry among those who initially exited the labor force. We found that approximately 15 percent of older Americans with career jobs returned to the labor force after initially exiting. Respondents were more likely to re-enter if they were younger, were in better health, or had a defined-contribution pension plan. This research provides empirical evidence of how older Americans are utilizing bridge jobs as they transition from career employment, and that re-entry may be an important part of the work experience of older Americans. %B Working Paper %I U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics %C Washington, D.C. %G eng %U https://www.bls.gov/osmr/research-papers/2010/pdf/ec100070.pdf %4 Retirement, Retirement Policies/Economics of the Elderly/Economics of the Handicapped/Non-labor Market Discrimination/Private Pensions/Social Security and Public Pensions/Economics of Aging/Partial Retirement/Bridge Jobs/Gradual Retirement %$ 23200 %0 Journal Article %J Canadian Journal of Economics %D 2010 %T Subjective Mortality Expectations and Consumption and Saving Behaviours among the Elderly %A Salm, Martin %K Consumption and Savings %K Employment and Labor Force %K Event History/Life Cycle %K Health Conditions and Status %K Women and Minorities %X Life expectancy is an important factor that individuals have to take into account for saving and consumption choices. The life-cycle model of consumption and saving behaviour predicts that consumption growth should decrease with higher mortality rates. The aim of this study is to test this hypothesis based on data about subjective longevity expectations from the Health and Retirement Study merged with detailed consumption data from two waves of the Consumption and Activities Mail Survey. This study finds that an increase in subjective mortality by 1 corresponds to an annual decrease in consumption of non-durable goods of around 1.8 . %B Canadian Journal of Economics %I 43 %V 43 %P 1040-1057 %G eng %U https://www.jstor.org/stable/40800727 %N 3 %4 Intertemporal Consumer Choice/Life Cycle Models and Saving/Saving/Health Production/Economics of the Elderly/Economics of the Handicapped/Non-labor Market Discrimination/Consumption/Life Cycle/Mortality Rates/Saving %$ 23990 %0 Thesis %D 2010 %T Women's alternative retirement transition options: Social Security retirement benefits and employment status %A Gillen, Martie %K Adult children %K Employment and Labor Force %K Healthcare %K Net Worth and Assets %K Public Policy %K Retirement Planning and Satisfaction %K Social Security %K Women and Minorities %X The purpose of this dissertation is to examine two common measures of retirement status: (1) receipt of Social Security retirement benefits and (2) employment status. A three manuscript format was used to report the effects of human capital characteristics (education, marital status, and health status), types of income sources (pension income, IRA/annuity income, investment asset income, and other income), and age on women's timing of Social Security retirement benefit receipt and employment status. Four waves of Health and Retirement Study (FIRS) data (2000, 2002, 2004, and 2006) were used in the analyses. Manuscript 1 used longitudinal data to investigate alternative retirement options based on timing of Social Security benefit receipt and employment status. A majority of women chose early receipt of benefits compared to normal or delayed receipt. A greater percentage of women who did not receive Social Security benefits were employed compared to those who received benefits. Among women employed full-time; a large percentage did not receive Social Security benefits while a large percentage of women employed part-time received benefits. Manuscript 2 used cross-sectional data to focus on timing of receipt of Social Security retirement benefits. Less than excellent health and receiving pension income increased the likelihood of early receipt. Not being married and receiving income from earnings and unspecified income sources reduced the likelihood of early receipt. Manuscript 3 used cross-sectional data to estimate the likelihood of being employed. Having more years of education and being divorced/separated increased the likelihood; while poor/fair health, older age, receipt of Social Security benefits, and pension income reduced the likelihood of being employed. Additionally, manuscript 3 estimated the likelihood of full and part-time employment for women receiving Social Security benefits. Overall, this dissertation updates current knowledge regarding the complex options of timing of receipt of Social Security retirement benefits and employment options. %I University of Kentucky %C United States -- Kentucky %V Ph.D. %P 174 %G eng %U http://proquest.umi.com.proxy.lib.umich.edu/pqdweb?did=2575907951&Fmt=7&clientId=17822&RQT=309&VName=PQD %9 3492801 %4 Human Capital %$ 62862 %! Women's alternative retirement transition options: Social Security retirement benefits and employment status %0 Thesis %D 2010 %T Women's retirement insecurity across U.S. birth cohorts %A Isaacs, K. %K Adult children %K Demographics %K Healthcare %K Other %K Women and Minorities %X Older women in the U.S. face greater risks of economic insecurity in comparison with other age groups and with men their own age. Although these risks have been documented in prior research, few studies investigate the life course mechanisms underlying women's retirement insecurity. This dissertation seeks to fill this gap by using a life course perspective and the theory of cumulative disadvantage to examine how women's earlier work and family experiences shape subsequent economic resources in retirement. The three major types of retirement resources in the U.S. - Social Security benefits, occupational pensions, and private retirement wealth - are considered. Analyses use a variety of modeling techniques and panel data from the Health and Retirement Study linked to restricted access Social Security Administration files. In addition, this dissertation specifically investigates retirement insecurity across birth cohorts of older women. The first substantive chapter examines how Social Security benefit eligibility type is influenced by four major life course predictors: marital continuity, family timing, employment commitment, and cohort change. Social Security benefit type is an important indicator of retirement security for women because, despite nearly universal program coverage, benefit type is associated with differential economic security in retirement for women. Multinomial logit models demonstrate the importance of women's own paid employment histories for later benefit type. Receiving own worker Social Security benefits or being dually eligible for Social Security are more likely outcomes with increased employment experience. The second empirical chapter uses discrete-time even history models to examine the timing of women's access to occupation pension income. The timing of pension income receipt is relevant for women's retirement security because delayed access indicates a missing source of economic resources. Results reveal significant cohort differences in the timing of first pension receipt as well as the important roles of marital continuity and family timing for older women's access to occupational pension income. The final empirical chapter employs age-based growth models to examine differential trajectories of private retirement savings in early retirement (ages 51-65) across U.S. birth cohorts of women. This analysis examines both initial retirement wealth and wealth accumulation over time to understand how life course processes advantage some older women, but contribute to ongoing disadvantage for others as part of this third, major source of retirement security. Results from growth models reveal variation across birth cohorts as well as the negative effects of divorce for initial wealth holdings and growth in retirement wealth. Overall, this dissertation illustrates the importance of women's work and family experiences across the life course for the cumulative disadvantages they face in retirement. Moreover, each type of major retirement resource interacts with different aspects of women's prior work and family roles to produce economic outcomes in retirement. %I Duke University %C United States -- North Carolina %V Ph.D. %P 212 %G eng %U http://proquest.umi.com.proxy.lib.umich.edu/pqdweb?did=2008732861&Fmt=7&clientId=17822&RQT=309&VName=PQD %9 3397770 %4 Demography %$ 22920 %! Women's retirement insecurity across U.S. birth cohorts %0 Thesis %B Public Policy Studies %D 2010 %T Work, retirement, and well-being: Does what you did for a living influence how you feel in retirement? Women's retirement and self-assessed well-being: An analysis of three measures of well-being among recent and long-term retirees relative to homemakers %A Silver, Michelle Pannor %Y Kerwin K. Charles %K Demographics %K Health Conditions and Status %K Retirement Planning and Satisfaction %K Women and Minorities %X This dissertation contributes to the literature on retirement and subjective well-being by focusing on two key questions using data from the Health and Retirement Study: (1) Is retiring from a job that afforded greater opportunities to engage in autonomous, creative, and/or prestigious work linked with greater well-being in retirement? and (2) Are there differences in subjective measures of well-being for women who retire relative to women who are homemakers? Based on prior research comparing workers and retirees, one might expect retirees to report relatively poor well-being (e.g. Dave et al. 2006; Doshi et al. 2008). However, analyses of a sample of respondents who make the transition from working full-time to being fully retired between 1992 and 2006, suggest that retiring from a professional occupation is related to more favorable self-assessments of well-being. The second research question focuses on women's experiences by taking advantage of a unique comparison group which exists for women retiring at the early part of this century, namely homemakers or women who did not participate in the paid labor force. Analyses of female retirees who are compared to homemakers suggest that despite the major role change they experienced, participating in the paid labor force may have been a protective factor with regard to self-assessed well-being. %B Public Policy Studies %I The University of Chicago %V PhD %P 176 %G eng %9 Dissertation %4 Homemakers %$ 24070 %! Work, retirement, and well-being: Does what you did for a living influence how you feel in retirement? Women's retirement and self-assessed well-being: An analysis of three measures of well-being among recent and long-term retirees relative to homemakers %0 Report %D 2009 %T Buffering Shocks to Well-Being Late in Life %A Matthew D. Shapiro %K Consumption and Savings %K Net Worth and Assets %K Women and Minorities %X Consumption provides a comprehensive measurement of economic well-being. This research shows that consumption is well-insured with respect to health status and widowing. Using data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) and its CAMS supplement, it shows that consumption responds little to changes in health status even though adverse health generates substantial out-of-pocket medical expenses. Similarly, the effect of widowing on consumption, though substantial, is not strongly driven by changes in economic resources. Men experience little loss of monetary resources when being widowed. Women have the same overall loss in consumption as men when being widowed despite greater declines in economic resources. Hence, despite the adverse consequences for income and wealth for female widows, women experience no greater drop in consumption from losing a spouse than do men. %I University of Michigan %G eng %4 consumption/WOMEN/Widowhood %$ 26140 %0 Journal Article %J Journal of Family and Consumer Sciences %D 2009 %T Retirement Preparedness in Non-Married Women Near Retirement %A Lee, Yoon G. %A Rowley, Megan %K Consumption and Savings %K Retirement Planning and Satisfaction %K Women and Minorities %X Using data from the 2004 Health and Retirement Study (HRS), the authors examined the savings and retirement preparedness of non-married women between the ages of 51 and 64. Approximately 68 of the non-married women did not meet one of the criteria for retirement preparedness (i.e., having investment assets greater than 25 of their net worth). Multivariate regression analyses show that all else being equal, divorced women held significantly lower levels of net worth and were less likely to meet the criterion for being financially prepared for retirement than their widowed counterparts. The findings suggest that women with less income, less education, who were Black, and in poor health had lower levels of net worth and were less likely to meet the criterion for being prepared for retirement. %B Journal of Family and Consumer Sciences %I 101 %V 101 %P 53 %G eng %N 2 %L newpubs20091202_YoonLee.pdf %4 Women/Retirement planning/Retirement Saving %$ 21190 %0 Thesis %D 2008 %T Divergent Pathways: Racial/ethnic inequalities in wealth and health trajectories %A Tyson H Brown %K Demographics %K Methodology %K Women and Minorities %X Extensive empirical evidence documents racial/ethnic disparities in both wealth and health: compared to Whites, Hispanics and Blacks have considerably less wealth and worse health. However, it remains unclear why racial/ethnic inequalities in wealth and health emerge, and whether these inequalities decrease, remain stable, or increase with age. This dissertation aims to fill these gaps in the literature by drawing on life course perspectives and methods to investigate racial/ethnic differences in wealth and health trajectories (i.e., long-term patterns of intra-individual change and stability in wealth and health with age) and how social disadvantage contributes to racial/ethnic wealth and health disparities. The first empirical chapter utilizes panel data from the National Longitudinal Study of Youth (NLSY), a nationally representative survey, and growth curve models to examine racial/ethnic differences in wealth trajectories between ages 21 and 45. Findings reveal that relatively small wealth gaps between Whites, Blacks and Hispanics exist in their early 20s, but these initial inequalities are magnified with age. In the second substantive chapter, data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), a nationally representative, longitudinal dataset is used to examine whether racial/ethnic wealth gaps narrow, remain stable, or widen between during the years leading up to retirement (ages 51 and 73). Results show that Whites experience more rapid rates of wealth accumulation than their minority counterparts during middle and later life, resulting in accelerating wealth disparities with age, consistent with a process of cumulative disadvantage. At age 73, the average White household has a net worth of approximately $122,000, whereas both Hispanic and Black household have less than $5,000. Substantial racial/ethnic disparities in wealth trajectories persist after controlling for group differences in life course capital suggesting that other factors such as racial/ethnic differences in portfolio composition, financial transfers, and exposure to discrimination may contribute to wealth disparities. The third substantive chapter uses HRS data to examine racial/ethnic differences in health trajectories. Results indicate that there are dramatic racial/ethnic disparities in both the levels and rates of change in health. Overall, findings from this study show that racial/ethnic inequalities result in divergent aging experiences for Black, Hispanic, and White Americans. %I The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill %C United States -- North Carolina %P Ph.D. %8 2008 %G eng %9 3315689 %4 Demographics %$ 19990 %! Divergent Pathways: Racial/ethnic inequalities in wealth and health trajectories %R https://doi.org/10.17615/31nz-pn49 %0 Thesis %D 2008 %T Health status and the labor force participation decisions of married couples %A Lin, Peng %K Employment and Labor Force %K Health Conditions and Status %K Retirement Planning and Satisfaction %K Women and Minorities %X This thesis examines the labor force participation decisions of married couples, and special attention is paid to a spouse's health conditions affecting their own and the spouse's labor force participation decision. I used the Health and Retirement Study survey data and estimated a seemingly unrelated bivariate probit model. A number of variables besides health condition were added: age, education level, and family unearned income. The results of this research paper support the findings from the relevant literature that the labor supply decisions of the husband and wife are related. The oldest age group is least likely to work. The younger the husband, the more likely it is that the husband will work. At the ages between 40 and 49, wives have the biggest probability to work. The higher the education level, the more likely it is that a spouse is going to work. The more total family unearned income, the less probable the spouse will go to work. Poor health has a negative effect on labor force participation and a positive effect for the spouse's labor force participation. %I University of Texas A&M %C College Station, TX %8 Dec 2008 %G eng %9 MS %4 women %$ 69296 %! Health status and the labor force participation decisions of married couples %0 Report %D 2008 %T Planning and Financial Literacy: How do women fare? %A Annamaria Lusardi %A Olivia S. Mitchell %K Net Worth and Assets %K Retirement Planning and Satisfaction %K Women and Minorities %X Many older US households have done little or no planning for retirement, and there is a substantial population that seems to undersave for retirement. Of particular concern is the relative position of older women, who are more vulnerable to old-age poverty due to their longer longevity. This paper uses data from a special module we devised on planning and financial literacy in the 2004 Health and Retirement Study. It shows that women display much lower levels of financial literacy than the older population as a whole. In addition, women who are less financially literate are also less likely to plan for retirement and be successful planners. These findings have important implications for policy and for programs aimed at fostering financial security at older ages. %B NBER Working Paper %I National Bureau of Economic Research %C Cambridge, MA, %G eng %L newpubs20070125_Lusardi_wp136 %4 Retirement Planning/Financial Management/WOMEN %$ 17090 %R 10.3386/w13750 %0 Journal Article %J Research on Aging %D 2008 %T Planning for End-of-Life Care: Black-White Differences in the Completion of Advance Directives %A Kerstin Gerst %A Jeffrey A Burr %K End of life decisions %K Women and Minorities %X The authors examined Black-White differences in the likelihood of completing written advance directives for end-of-life health care and engaging in informal verbal communication about advanced wishes. Data from the 1998 Health and Retirement Study (HRS) were combined with data from the 2000 HRS exit interview to analyze Black and White participants' completion rates. Whites were more likely than Blacks to grant durable power of attorney for health care, to complete a written will, and to informally communicate their wishes; group differences remained after controlling for personal characteristics. Also, Blacks were less likely than Whites to engage in more than one form of end-of-life planning. The authors speculate that sociocultural differences in trust in the medical system and knowledge about advance directives may partially account for these findings. The findings may aid policy makers and practitioners in increasing the level of participation in advance directives. %B Research on Aging %I 30 %V 30 %P 428 %G eng %N 4 %L newpubs20080822_Gerst_Burr %4 Advance Directives/African-Americans %$ 19130 %R 10.1177/0164027508316618 %0 Journal Article %J The Business Journal of Hispanic Research %D 2007 %T Preparing for the Future: Latinos' Financial Literacy and Retirement Planning %A Wei Sun %A Gia Barboza %A Karen Richman %K Financial literacy %K Older Adults %K Retirement Planning and Satisfaction %K Women and Minorities %X Over the past three decades, the burden of responsibility for retirement savings has shifted from employer to employee. Saving for retirement has changed from an insured, employer-provided benefit to an uninsured employee-provided deduction from a paycheck. When retirement planning and investment decision-making is largely relegated to individuals, financial literacy is essential. Financial illiteracy, however, is widespread throughout the population and is of particular concern for Latinos. Closing the gap between what American workers generally and Latino workers, in particular, need to know to prepare for retirement and their current level ofp reparation is an urgent need. This paper disaggregates ethnic differences between Latinos, both foreign and US born, and non-Latino Blacks and Whites in the analysis of core and supplemental data from the 2004 Health and Retirement Study (HRS). While other analyses of data from the survey deal with aggregates, this study explains how individual characteristics among ethnic groups affect financial literacy. %B The Business Journal of Hispanic Research %V 1 %P 54-68 %8 08/2007 %G eng %U https://latinostudies.nd.edu/assets/95325/original/preparing_for_the_future.pdf %N 2 %& 54 %0 Journal Article %J Journal of the American Geriatrics Society %D 2007 %T The Relationship Between Self-Rated Health and Mortality in Older Black and White Americans %A Sei J. Lee %A Sandra Y. Moody-Ayers %A C. Seth Landefeld %A Louise C Walter %A Lindquist, Karla %A Mark Segal %A Kenneth E Covinsky %K Demographics %K Health Conditions and Status %K Women and Minorities %X PURPOSE: To determine whether the association between self-rated health (SRH) and 4-year mortality differs between black and white Americans and whether education affects this relationship. METHODS: Sixteen thousand four hundred thirty-two subjects (14,004 white, 2,428 black) enrolled in the 1998 wave of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), a population-based study of community-dwelling U.S. adults aged 50 and older. Subjects were asked to self-identify their race and their overall health by answering the question, Would you say your health is excellent, very good, good, fair, or poor? Death was determined according to the National Death Index. RESULTS: SRH is a much stronger predictor of mortality in whites than blacks (c -statistic 0.71 vs 0.62). In whites, poor SRH resulted in a markedly higher risk of mortality than excellent SRH (odds ratio (OR)=10.4, 95 confidence interval (CI)=8.0-13.6). In blacks, poor RSH resulted in a much smaller increased risk of mortality (OR=2.9, 95 CI=1.5-5.5). SRH was a stronger predictor of death in white and black subjects with higher levels of education, but differences in education could not account for the observed race differences in the prognostic effect of SRH. CONCLUSIONS: This population-based study found that the relationship between SRH and mortality is stronger in white Americans and in subjects with higher levels of education. Because the association between SRH and mortality appears weakest in traditionally disadvantaged groups, SRH may not be the best measure to identify vulnerable older subjects. %B Journal of the American Geriatrics Society %I 55 %V 55 %P 1624 %G eng %N 10 %L newpubs20071203_Lee_etal_JAGS.pdf %4 SELF-RATED HEALTH/Mortality/Education/African-Americans %$ 18290 %R 10.1111/j.1532-5415.2007.01360.x %0 Report %D 2007 %T Trends in the Labor Force Participation of Married Women %A Christopher L House %A John Laitner %A Stolyarov, Dmitriy %K Adult children %K Consumption and Savings %K Employment and Labor Force %K Women and Minorities %X This study seeks to quantify determinants, and costs, of the labor force participation of married women. We use demographic and earnings data from the Health and Retirement Study. The earnings data constitute an unusually long panel but have the defect of lacking corresponding reports on work hours. By using a highly structured model and concentrating on the participation margin, we nevertheless feel that we can make substantial progress. Our preliminary regression results imply that married women s market work disrupts their household consumption slightly less than one half as much as men s work (relative to complete household retirement). We lay out a course of additional steps that can, we believe, clarify these results even more precisely in the near future. %B Michigan Retirement Research Center Research Working Paper %I Michigan Retirement Research Center, University of Michigan %C Ann Arbor, MI %G eng %U https://mrdrc.isr.umich.edu/pubs/trends-in-the-labor-force-participation-of-married-women-2/ %L newpubs20080229_wp171.pdf %4 Marital Status/Women, Working/Labor Force Participation/Consumption %$ 18360 %0 Book %D 2007 %T Women, Marriage and Wealth: The impact of marital status on the economic well-being of women through the life course %A Joyce, Joyce Ann %K Adult children %K Net Worth and Assets %K Women and Minorities %I Gordon Knot Books %C New York, NY %G eng %4 Women/Economic Status/Marital Status/Wealth %$ 19600 %0 Journal Article %J International Journal of Aging and Human Development %D 2007 %T Women of the 1950s and the Normative Life Course: The implications of childlessness, fertility timing, and marital status for Psychological well-being in late midlife. %A Koropeckyj-Cox, Tanya %A Pienta, Amy M. %A Tyson H Brown %K Adult children %K Demographics %K Event History/Life Cycle %K Health Conditions and Status %K Women and Minorities %X We explore women's psychological well-being in late midlife in relation to childlessness and timing of entry into motherhood. Using two U.S. surveys, Health and Retirement Study (HRS) (1992) and National Survey of Families and Households (NSFH) (Sweet, Bumpass, and Call, 1988), we assess the well-being of childless women in their 50s compared to mothers with early, delayed, or normatively timed first births. We focus on the cohorts born between 1928 and 1941, who experienced strong normative pressures during the baby boom with regard to marriage and child-bearing. We find few differences among childless women but lower well-being among early mothers, related to singlehood and poorer socioeconomic status. Unmarried mothers are significantly disadvantaged regardless of maternal timing, controlling for socioeconomic status. Current maternal demands are independently related to well-being and help to explain observed differences in family satisfaction. Overall, childlessness and off-time child-bearing are related to midlife well-being through their link with more proximate factors, particularly current marital status, health, and socioeconomic status. %B International Journal of Aging and Human Development %I 64 %V 64 %P 299-330 %G eng %N 4 %L newpubs20071002_JnlAgeHD.pdf %4 WOMEN/womens health/Life Cycle/Life Events/Fertility/Marital Status/Well Being %$ 18000 %0 Thesis %D 2006 %T Diverse Pathways in Retirement Transitions: Influences of Family, Work, Wealth, and Health %A Peters, Cheryl L. %K Demographics %K Employment and Labor Force %K Health Conditions and Status %K Retirement Planning and Satisfaction %K Women and Minorities %X Shaped by life course and feminist perspectives, this study investigated the influence of finances, human capital, health, family situations, and work factors on two different retirement transitions among married and partnered men and women. Because women and men arrive at retirement under different life circumstances, logistic regression analyses were conducted separately by gender. Respondents were drawn from Waves 1–4 of the biennial, longitudinal Health and Retirement Survey (HRS) and included individuals who retired between Waves 1 and 2 (1992–1994), Waves 2 and 3 (1994–1996), and Waves 3 and 4 (1996–1998). Retirees (n = 1,275) transitioned from the labor force at Time 1 to either a partial or complete retirement at Time 2. Results indicated that, relative to partially retired men, completely retired men had higher earnings at their job, worked for larger companies, were more likely labor union members, were covered in pension plans, started pension incomes at Time 2, had health insurance that continued in retirement, likely covered partners in their health plan, were older, were in poorer health, and had provided 400+ hours of care to a grandchild in the last year. Relative to completely retired men, partially retired men had more wealth, were more likely receiving health insurance coverage from their partners' health plan, had partners who were working for pay at Time 2, had fewer years at their last job, retired earlier than planned, and perceived their last jobs as important. Relative to partially retired women, completely retired women were more likely covered in pension plans, had health insurance that continued in retirement, were more likely labor union members, were White, were older, were in poorer health, and had grandchildren in the home at the time of retirement. Relative to completely retired women, partially retired women had partners who were working for pay at Time 2, retired earlier than planned, and were providing financial support to another individual. Results suggest that partial retirement is a possible solution for workers trying to negotiate a labor force exit while keeping financial and health benefits. Implications and future directions were explored. %I Oregon State University %8 2006 %G eng %4 retirement planning %$ 15770 %! Diverse Pathways in Retirement Transitions: Influences of Family, Work, Wealth, and Health %0 Journal Article %J Journal of Health and Social Behavior %D 2006 %T Does Caregiving Increase Poverty among Women in Later Life? Evidence from the Health and Retirement Survey %A Chizuko Wakabayashi %A Donato, Katharine M. %K Healthcare %K Income %K Women and Minorities %X Given the rapid aging of the U.S. population and reductions in federal funding, elder care has become a major issue for many families. This paper focuses on a long-term consequence of elder care by asking how caring for elderly parents affects women's subsequent risks of living in poverty. Using longitudinal data from the Health and Retirement Study, we examine whether and how caregiving for parents in 1991 increases women's risks of living in households with incomes less than the poverty threshold, receiving public assistance, and receiving Medicaid in 1999. Our findings illustrate that caregiving in earlier life raises women's poverty risks in later life by intensifying the negative effects of stopping work and declining health on women's economic well-being. %B Journal of Health and Social Behavior %I 47 %V 47 %P 258-74 %G eng %N 3 %L pubs_2006_Wakabayashi.pdf %4 Caregiving/WOMEN/Poverty %$ 16920 %0 Report %D 2006 %T Earnings and Women's Retirement Security %A Alicia H. Munnell %A Natalia A. Zhivan %K Employment and Labor Force %K Net Worth and Assets %K Women and Minorities %X As the U.S. population ages, traditional sources of retirement income will likely fall short of what is needed to maintain pre-retirement living standards for many individuals. The issue of retirement security is especially important for women, because even today nearly 30 percent of single women, who represent a majority of households at older ages, are classified as poor or near-poor. One solution to the retirement security challenge is for women to work more during their lifetimes and to stay in the workforce longer as they age. By and large, those who continue to work until their mid-60s or beyond do not end up poor. The question is explored in this study is what determines women's labor force activity at older ages and what determines when they retire. Only by understanding these levers is it possible to make changes that are likely to encourage stronger labor force participation, and thus greater retirement security, for women. %B Center for Retirement Research at Boston College Working Papers %I Center for Retirement Research at Boston College %C Boston %G eng %U https://crr.bc.edu/working-papers/earnings-and-womens-retirement-security/ %L wp_2006/CRRwp2006-12.pdf %4 WOMEN/Labor Force Participation/Retirement Wealth %$ 16650 %0 Thesis %D 2006 %T His and Her Marriage Today: The impact of wives' employment on husbands' later mid-life health %A Kristen W Springer %K Adult children %K Demographics %K Health Conditions and Status %K Methodology %K Women and Minorities %X Marriage is a highly gendered institution with expectations, norms, and resources organized through gender relations. The short-lived, though idealized, 1950s' notion of the "male breadwinner" solidified men's power in marriage through economic contributions from paid employment. However, the last several decades have witnessed an explosion of wives entering the labor market, all but demolishing the reality of the male breadwinner. This dissertation situates itself in this historical context to explore how wives' employment affects husbands' health. By combining gender literature on the breadwinner role with health inequalities literature, this dissertation utilizes feminist theories to contextualize men's health while at the same time using health as a heuristic to examine gender inequality and gender relations in marriage. I analyze longitudinal data on married couples from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) to find strong evidence that a wife's employment impacts a husband's health only when he fails to achieve the normative prescription of the family breadwinner---supporting what I've termed the changing gendered-norms model. I found no support for the predominant sociological explanation that a wife's employment harms a husband's health because it limits her time available for caregiving. The starving hearts model which posits ill health effects of the social and financial burden associated with breadwinning also failed to explain the relationship between wives' employment and husbands' health. Further exploration of mechanisms driving the changing gendered-norms model did not support standard marital relations explanations including the economic resource mechanism and the marital dissatisfaction mechanism. In other words, husbands' health is not harmed because high earning wives exercise power in marital decisions nor is husbands' health harmed because economically dependent husbands are dissatisfied with their marriages. Rather, the results indicate that a husband's economic dependency adversely impacts his health through a masculinity threat resulting from having a primary breadwinning wife. These results underscore that gender inequality and ideological norms that privilege men are the sources of husbands' ill health associated with wives' employment. Social policies designed to dismantle the male breadwinner ideology and support combining home with work could improve women's social status while enhancing men's health. %I The University of Wisconsin - Madison %C United States -- Wisconsin %8 2006 %G eng %U http://proquest.umi.com.proxy.lib.umich.edu/pqdweb?did=1225147281&Fmt=7&clientId=17822&RQT=309&VName=PQD %4 Gender %$ 17510 %! His and Her Marriage Today: The impact of wives' employment on husbands' later mid-life health %0 Journal Article %J Journal of Women and Aging %D 2005 %T Depressive Symptoms of Caregiving Women in Midlife: The role of physical health. %A Timothy S Killian %A M Jean Turner %A Rebekah Cain %K Health Conditions and Status %K Healthcare %K Women and Minorities %X This research examined the relationships between providing assistance to aging family members, caregivers' age, caregivers' perceptions of their physical health, and caregivers' depressive symptoms. Several alternative hypotheses were examined. Longitudinal data from 1,898 women from the 1992 and 2000 waves of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) were used. Results indicate a reciprocal relationship between depression and physical health. These processes were examined using a path analysis. Although the evidence only supported one of the hypotheses, this study clearly demonstrated the importance of physical health for the psychological well-being of women in midlife. %B Journal of Women and Aging %I 17 %V 17 %P 115-27 %G eng %N 1/2 %4 Caregivers/Depression/Health Physical/Women %$ 14328 %0 Journal Article %J Journal of the American Geriatrics Society %D 2005 %T Differences in Amount of Informal Care Received by Non-Hispanic Whites and Latinos in a Nationally Representative Sample of Older Americans %A Weiss, Carlos O. %A Hector M González %A Mohammed U Kabeto %A Kenneth M. Langa %K Healthcare %K Women and Minorities %X The objective of this study was to evaluate informal (unpaid) care and its broad determinants for Latinos in a nationally representative sample. A cross-sectional analysis of the 1993 Asset and Health Dynamics Study, a national probability sample of 7,443 older adults aged 70 and older, was performed to determine the independent effect of Latino ethnicity on the receipt of informal care by disabled older individuals. Self-reported race/ethnicity was used to predict the mean daily hours of informal care received for activity of daily living (ADL) or instrumental activity of daily living (IADL) assistance after adjustment for predisposing, need, and enabling variables. There was a significant association between informal home care and ethnic group, with 44.3 of Latinos receiving informal care, compared with 33.9 of African Americans and 24.6 of non-Hispanic whites (Po.001). After adjustment, Latinos received 11.0 weekly hours of informal care, compared with 7.5 hours for non-Hispanic whites and 6.3 hours for African Americans (Po.001). The results from this nationally representative sample indicate that Latinos receive significantly more hours of informal care on average than African Americans or non-Hispanic whites for ADL and IADL disability. Clinicians should be alert to the significant amount of informal care and possible associated strain in caregivers of older Latinos. %B Journal of the American Geriatrics Society %I 53 %V 53 %P 146-151 %G eng %N 1 %L pubs_2005_Weiss_etal.pdf %4 Hispanic Americans/Caregiving %$ 16030 %0 Journal Article %J The Gerontologist %D 2005 %T Ensuring a Minimum: Social Security Reform and Women %A Herd, Pamela %K Social Security %K Women and Minorities %X Purpose: The potential effects of implementing three different minimum benefits in Social Security, which have accompanied proposals to privatize the program and reform family benefits, are examined in relation to the adequacy of benefits for women reaching age 62 between 2020 and 2030. Design and Methods: The 1992 Health and Retirement Study is used to conduct a simplified microsimulation. Results: The minimum benefit proposal accompanying privatization proposals, which requires 40 earnings years for a poverty level benefit, fails to cover significant numbers of vulnerable women. The elimination of spousal benefits, criticized for being outdated and regressive, helps offset the costs of more generous minimum benefits, such as those that require residency or 10 earnings years for eligibility. Implications: Noncontributory benefits distributed based on marital status are not as effective at protecting poorer women, as well as a new generation of women that is less likely to be married, than are minimum benefits where eligibility is tied to U.S. residency or simply Social Security eligibility. %B The Gerontologist %I 45 %V 45 %P 12-25 %G eng %U http://gerontologist.gerontologyjournals.org/content/vol45/issue1/ %N 1 %L pubs_2005_Herd_Geron.pdf %4 Social Security/Women %$ 14132 %0 Journal Article %J Applied Economics %D 2005 %T Female Labor Force Intermittency and Current Earnings: A Switching Regression Model with Unknown Sample Selection %A Hotchkiss, Julie L. %A Pitts, M. Melinda %K Employment and Labor Force %K Income %K Women and Minorities %X Using the Health and Retirement Survey, this paper finds a 16 percent selectivity-corrected wage penalty among women who engage in intermittent labor market activity. This penalty is experienced at a low level of intermittent activity but appears not to play an important role in a woman's decision to undertake such activity. In addition, employer preferences appear to play a larger role than human capital atrophy in the determination of the wage penalty. %B Applied Economics %I 37 %V 37 %P 545-560 %G eng %N 5 %L pubs_2005_SSRNid487382.pdf %4 Labor Force/Income/Women, Working %$ 13442 %R https://doi.org/10.1080/0003684042000307003 %0 Thesis %B Sociology %D 2005 %T The Impact of Marital Status on the Economic Well-Being of Women in Later Life %A Joyce, Joyce Ann %K Adult children %K Demographics %K Income %K Net Worth and Assets %K Women and Minorities %X Although there have been significant improvements in the economic status of the elderly in the United States because of the Social Security retirement program and the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program, poverty among older women remains high. The economic vulnerability of women in older age has been directly linked to their greater likelihood of being unmarried, with marriage viewed as generally protecting the elderly from poverty. The economic status of older women also has been linked to their employment histories, in that women tend to have discontinuous work histories and often work at jobs that pay lower salaries than men. Moreover, their employment is often tied to marriage and childrearing. These factors mean many women will receive lower income in older age. Hence, a lifetime of weak attachment to the labor force leaves many women ill-prepared for economic security without a spouse. Other characteristics of women may further impact their income security in older age. Minority women, for example, are at an even greater disadvantage than white women; and women with high educational attainment may have strong work histories resulting in more favorable outcomes for income in later life. Within the context of a combination of viewpoints that include the life course, political economy, and feminist perspectives, this dissertation examines the relationship of gender, race, employment histories, number of children, and marital status on the economic security of women in later life. Economic security is measured by total household income and total wealth, or accumulated assets minus debt. A sample of women age 50 and over who are married, divorced, widowed, or have never been married are included in the study. Data are from the Rand Data File of the Health and Retirement Study. The Rand HRS Data File is a longitudinal data set based on the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) data. The HRS is a national panel study sponsored by the National Institute of Aging and conducted by the University of Michigan. From the data analysis, it was found that married women, overall, have greater income and wealth and, therefore, the largest number of sources of income compared to women in the other marital status groups. This was due largely to their access to their spouse's income and assets. The widowed women were shown to have the least amount of wage and salary income, but received the most from Social Security retirement. The widows in the study, however, had the least amount of total household income. Those women who had never been married had the strongest employment histories among the women in the four marital status groups, but they had less income and wealth than the married women in the sample. The race and ethnicity of the women were shown to have negative consequences for their economic security, with nonwhite women having fewer sources of income than their white counterparts. Education had a significant positive effect on the incomes and wealth of the women across all the marital status groups, while number of children had no effect on either the income or assets of women in this analysis. %B Sociology %I State University of New York - Buffalo %C Buffalo, NY %V Doctor of Philosophy %8 2005 %G eng %U https://search.proquest.com/openview/8c849816074ff7095b8942c9c7b78a28/1?cbl=18750&diss=y&pq-origsite=gscholar %4 Widowhood %$ 15750 %0 Journal Article %J The Gerontologist %D 2005 %T Perceived Discrimination, Cumulative Disadvantage and the Life Course: Women's mental health in retirement/old age %A Martha A. Jacob %K Health Conditions and Status %K Women and Minorities %B The Gerontologist %I 45 %V 45 %P 307 %G eng %4 WOMEN/Mental Health %$ 15900 %0 Report %D 2005 %T Valuing Lost Home Production in Dual-Earner Couples %A John Laitner %A Christopher L House %A Stolyarov, Dmitriy %K Employment and Labor Force %K Net Worth and Assets %K Women and Minorities %X Economists principal tool for studying household behavioral responses to changes in tax and other government policies, and the magnitude and determinants of private saving, is the life cycle model. The purpose of this paper is to attempt to incorporate into that model one of the most conspicuous changes in the U.S. economy in the last 50 years, the rise in labor market participation for married women. The increased presence of married women in the labor force has obvious benefits: women now earn much more income than they did in the past. On the other hand, working women presumably spend less time doing housework and other types of home production, and the forgone value of time at home reduces the net benefit of their work in the market. Conventional accounts do not provide measurements of the costs of lost home production, but we attempt to use comparisons of household net worth at retirement to deduce valuations indirectly. This paper modifies a standard life cycle model to include women s labor supply decisions, estimates key parameters of the new specification, and attempts to assess the significance of rising female labor market participation for aggregate national saving in the U.S. Using panel data from the Health and Retirement Study, we find that the difference between measured labor market earnings for married women and earnings net of the value of lost home production seems moderately small about 30 percent and that the corresponding long run effect on the overall rate of private saving is minor. %B Michigan Retirement Research Center Publication %I The University of Michigan, Michigan Retirement Research Center %C Ann Arbor, MI %G eng %U https://mrdrc.isr.umich.edu/pubs/valuing-lost-home-production-in-dual-earner-couples/ %L wp_2005/MRRCwp097.pdf %4 Household Production/Labor Force Participation/WOMEN %$ 16500 %0 Report %D 2005 %T What Makes Older Women Work? %A Alicia H. Munnell %A Natalia A. Jivan %K Employment and Labor Force %K Women and Minorities %B Center for Retirement Research at Boston College Briefs %I Center for Retirement Research at Boston College %C Boston %G eng %U https://crr.bc.edu/briefs/what-makes-older-women-work/ %L wp_2005/Munnell-Jivan_CCR.pdf %4 Older Workers/Women, Working %$ 15280 %0 Report %D 2005 %T Why Do Women Claim Social Security Benefits So Early? %A Alicia H. Munnell %A Soto, Mauricio %K Adult children %K Employment and Labor Force %K Social Security %K Women and Minorities %X This brief summarizes the incentives facing older women when claiming their Social Security benefits. The analysis shows that single women and married women face very different choices. For most married women, the Social Security benefit structure actually encourages them to grab their benefits as soon as possible. These incentives reinforce the tendency for wives, who are usually younger, to retire when their husbands do. Early claiming may maximize the wife's Social Security wealth, but it also encourages them to stop working, creating a loss of earnings and 401(k) savings and extending the period over which they need support in retirement. %I Boston College, Center for Retirement Research %G eng %L wp_2005/ib_35.pdf %4 Marital Status/Women/Social Security/Labor Force Participation %$ 15510 %0 Thesis %D 2004 %T Examining the Effect of Welfare Reform on the Economic Well-Being of the Elderly %A Eun-Young Choi %K Demographics %K Employment and Labor Force %K Healthcare %K Methodology %K Women and Minorities %X This study examines the impact of passage of the 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (commonly referred to as the Welfare Reform Act) on the economic well-being of the elderly. Longitudinal data from the 1994 and 1998 waves of the Health and Retirement Study were used to examine change in participation of several public welfare programs. Change in respondents' participation in SSI, Food Stamps, and Medicaid between pre- and post-Welfare Reform years were examined using the one-way chi-square test. Multivariate analysis was conducted to analyze the factors associated with moving into poverty and with leaving welfare, SSI, Food Stamps and Medicaid. Results indicate that elderly tended to leave Food Stamps and Medicaid after Welfare Reform but there was not enough evidence to say that this result is a direct result of Welfare Reform. Results of logistic analysis of leaving Food Stamps and Medicaid indicate, not surprisingly, income and job status were statistically significant factors in leaving these welfare programs. %I University of Missouri - Columbia %8 2004 %G eng %4 Welfare %$ 17630 %! Examining the Effect of Welfare Reform on the Economic Well-Being of the Elderly %0 Thesis %D 2004 %T How Alternative Definitions of Retirement and Social Class Shape Conclusions about the Retired Population %A Araiza, Isabel %K Demographics %K Healthcare %K Methodology %K Retirement Planning and Satisfaction %K Women and Minorities %X The conceptualization and operationalization of retirement remains a challenge in retirement research. Those studies which have examined multiple conceptualizations of retirement often limit the investigation to two, three, or four definitions of retirement. These studies also produce contradictory results with respect to the degree of overlap among various definitions of retirement. Moreover, in the investigation of the relationship between predictor variables and the probability of retirement, push and pull factors (such as pension receipt and health) are often the focal point of the inquiry. While most studies include in their analysis a class measure as a control variable for the model, seldom is the relationship between social class and the probability of retirement the focal point of the investigation. This study employs data from the 1998 wave of the Health and Retirement Study to perform an extensive analysis of seven operationalizations of retirement and five operationalizations of social class to evaluate how the use of alternative definitions of retirement and social class shape conclusions drawn about the composition of the retired population. Analyses are performed for the entire sample selected for this study, as well as for Non-Hispanic White, Hispanic, and Non-Hispanic Black subgroups. The results of the analyses indicate that different operationalizations of retirement affect the characterization the retired population; moreover the use of different operationalizations of social class influences the perceptions of the socio-economic condition of the retired population. Despite socio-economic achievements, the findings suggest that initial inequalities associated with ascriptive traits like race and gender continue to constrain women and minorities' life course trajectories. While it is not possible to conduct a comprehensive examination of operationalizations of retirement in gerontological literature, this study includes operationalizations of retirement that acknowledge retirement as an event, an identity, and a process. %I Boston College %C United States -- Massachusetts %8 2004 %G eng %U https://search.proquest.com/openview/5a3ae1f763042c14661718032d4a886e/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y %4 Gerontology %$ 17640 %! How Alternative Definitions of Retirement and Social Class Shape Conclusions about the Retired Population %0 Book Section %B Critical Perspectives on Race and Ethnic Differences in Health in Later Life %D 2004 %T Race/Ethnicity, Socioeconomic Status, and Health %A Eileen M. Crimmins %A Mark D Hayward %A Teresa Seeman %E Norman B. Anderson %E Randy A. Bulatao %E Barney Cohen %K Demographics %K Health Conditions and Status %K Healthcare %K Women and Minorities %X Mounting evidence indicates that racial/ethnic differences in morbidity and mortality are tied to socioeconomic resources (Hayward, Crimmins, Miles, and Yu, 2000; Williams and Collins, 1995). Largely because of data availability, most of this evidence is based on the health experiences of blacks and whites, with much less evidence on the role of socioeconomic factors in understanding racial/ethnic disparities when Americans of Asian or Pacific Island descent, Hispanics, and Native Americans are part of the picture. The potential power of the socioeconomic status (SES) paradigm in understanding health disparities—including racial/ethnic disparities—is evident in the fact that socioeconomic differences in health outcomes have been widely documented for most health conditions in most countries. People who are poorer and who have less education are more likely to suffer from diseases, to experience loss of functioning, to be cognitively and physically impaired, and to experience higher mortality rates (Adler, Boyce, Chesney, Folkman, and Syme, 1993; Adler et al., 1994; Marmot, Kogevinas, and Elston, 1987; Marmot, Ryff, Bumpass, Shipley, and Marks, 1997; Preston and Taubman, 1994; Williams, 1990). In the United States, few health problems are more likely to occur among those who are better off, and some health conditions are particularly sensitive to SES. In recent years socioeconomic differences in health also appear to be increasing in the United States and in other developed countries (Crimmins and Saito, 2001; Feldman, Makuc, Kleinman, and Coroni-Huntley, 1989; Manton, 1997; Marmot, 1994; Pappas, Queen, Hadden, and Fisher, 1993; Preston and Elo, 1995). %B Critical Perspectives on Race and Ethnic Differences in Health in Later Life %I National Academy of Sciences %P 310-352 %G eng %U https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK25526/#:~:text=Socioeconomic%20status%20is%20obviously%20related,health%20outcomes%20relative%20to%20whites. %4 Racial Differences/socioeconomic Status/African Americans/Hispanic/health disparities/MORTALITY %$ 23820 %& 9 %0 Thesis %D 2004 %T Three Essays on the Effect of Taxes on Economic Behavior %A Kumar, Anil %K Consumption and Savings %K Employment and Labor Force %K Methodology %K Public Policy %K Women and Minorities %X Estimation of the effect of tax and transfer policies on economic behavior is a central area of study in the fields of public finance and labor economics. By changing relative prices, policies affect the consumption/saving and labor/leisure choices of individuals and households. The direction and magnitude of such responses are key elements in the effort to measure the overall effect of taxes on economic behavior. The three essays in this dissertation examine two important areas of recent research: the effect of taxes on female labor supply and the effect of subsidies on saving behavior. In the first essay, I estimate female labor supply elasticities in the presence of taxes in a lifecycle-consistent framework, and then calculate the economic cost of taxation. I employ many of the most current econometric techniques to estimate panel data models with fixed effects in the presence of censoring and am able to estimate both intratemporal and intertemporal elasticities for female labor supply. Using data on a panel of married females from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID), female labor supply is found to be highly responsive to taxes, while intratemporal and intertemporal elasticities are estimated to be larger than 1. Blomquist and Newey (2002) have proposed a nonparametric estimator for labor supply functions, in the presence of nonlinear budget sets. In the second essay, I extend their nonparametric estimator to censored dependent variables, propose econometric strategies to empirically estimate the model, and estimate female labor supply elasticities taking into account the entire budget set using data from 1987 wave of PSID. I find evidence of an elastic response to taxation with the compensated wage elasticity estimated to be 1.19. In the last essay, Gary Engelhardt and I study the effect of employer matching on 401(k) saving using data from the 1992 wave of Health and Retirement Study (HRS). We derive a lifecycle-consistent theoretical model for 401(k) saving, and structurally estimate behavioral elasticities using unique administrative data on 401(k) plans by laying out the individual's complete budget set. We estimate that the elasticity of 401(k) contributions with respect to the match rate is 0.33. %I Syracuse University %C United States -- New York %8 2004 %G eng %U https://surface.syr.edu/ecn_etd/39/ %4 Taxes %$ 17690 %! Three Essays on the Effect of Taxes on Economic Behavior %0 Journal Article %J Social Forces %D 2004 %T Unequal Returns to Housing Investments? A Study of Real Housing Appreciation among Black, White, and Hispanic Households %A Chenoa Flippen %K Consumption and Savings %K Demographics %K Housing %K Women and Minorities %X This paper assesses whether and to what degree housing in predominantly minority and integrated neighborhoods appreciates more slowly than comparable housing in predominantly white communities, and, if so, the extent to which inequality is due to neighborhood racial composition per se rather than nonracial socioeconomic and housing structure factors. I take a dynamic approach to the issue of neighborhood effects on housing appreciation, considering both neighborhood racial, ethnic, and income composition at the time homes are purchased and change in those characteristics over time. I examine differences in real housing appreciation across black, white, and Hispanic households by applying a hedonic price analysis to data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), combined with data from the 1970, 1980, and 1990 Census. I find clear evidence that housing in black and Hispanic neighborhoods experiences lower appreciation than comparable housing in predominantly white communities, and that increases in black representation also undermine housing values. While a large share of neighborhood appreciation inequality by racial composition is explained by nonracial (particularly socioeconomic) factors, racial and ethnic composition continues to exert a significant effect on appreciation even net of these considerations, particularly in highly segregated minority communities and those that experience large increases in black representation. And finally, I demonstrate the large negative impact of unequal housing appreciation on the overall wealth holdings of mature minority households, and discuss the implications for racial and ethnic stratificati %B Social Forces %I 82 %V 82 %P 1523 %G eng %N 4 %L pubs_2004_Flippen.pdf %4 Housing/Residential Segregation/Minority Groups/Social Inequality/Neighborhood Change/Economic Behavior/Black Americans/Hispanic Americans/Whites %$ 1268 %R 10.2307/3598444 %0 Journal Article %J American Economic Review %D 2003 %T At What Level of Labor Market Intermittency Are Women Penalized? %A Hotchkiss, Julie L. %A Pitts, M. Melinda %K Employment and Labor Force %K Women and Minorities %X A common explanation offered for the observed wage differential between men and women is that women are less attached to the labor market; they exhibit a greater degree of labor-market intermittency than do men. There are several theories that explain this link between intermittency and lower wages, including differences in human-capital attainment, atrophy of skills during absences, and preferences of employers (see e.g., Solomon W. Polachek and W. Stanley Siebert, 1993; Joyce P. Jacobsen and Laurence M. Levin, 1995; James W. Albrecht et al., 2000). The goal of this paper is to explore in greater depth the role past labormarket intermittency plays in the determination of a woman’s current wage and at what level of intermittent activity women can expect to have that activity affect her wage %B American Economic Review %I 93 %V 93 %P 233-237 %G eng %N 2 %L pubs_2003_Hotchkiss-Pitts_AER.pdf %4 Women, Working/Labor Market %$ 13432 %R 10.1257/000282803321947100 %0 Report %D 2003 %T The Economic Consequences of Marital Disruption for Pre-Retirement Age African-American, Hispanic and Non-Hispanic White Women %A Jacqueline L. Angel %A Cynthia J. Buckley %A Ronald J. Angel %A Maren A. Jimenez %K Adult children %K Net Worth and Assets %K Women and Minorities %I Population Association of America %C Minneapolis, MN %G eng %4 Marital Dissolution/Women/Economic Status %$ 12162 %0 Report %D 2003 %T Employment, Social Security, and Future Retirement Outcomes for Single Mothers %A Richard W. Johnson %A Melissa Favreault %A Joshua H. Goldwyn %K Expectations %K Social Security %K Women and Minorities %I Chestnut Hill, MA, Center for Retirement Research at Boston College %G eng %4 Social Security/Women, Working/Retirement Expectations %$ 13352 %0 Report %D 2003 %T The Role of Marital History, Early Retirement Benefits, and the Economic Status of Women %A Tay K. McNamara %A Regina O'Grady-LeShane %A Williamson, John B. %K Adult children %K Net Worth and Assets %K Women and Minorities %X This article compares the relative economic status of women who take and postpone taking early Social Security benefits, with particular attention to the role of marital history. Marital history categories discussed include: lifelong marriages, marriages in which the woman had been previously divorced or widowed, divorced, widowed, and never married. The results presented here should be useful in evaluating the potential consequences of increasing the Earliest Entitlement Age (EEA). While increasing the EEA would not cause economic hardship for many, it may have adverse effects on divorced and widowed women who generally are at greater risk of poverty than married women. The economic effects of prior divorce or widowhood are reflected in the lower financial resources of women who remarry. ( 2003, by Tay K. McNamara, Regina O Grady-LeShane, and John B. Williamson.) %B Center for Retirement Research at Boston College Working Papers %I Center for Retirement Research at Boston College %C Boston %G eng %U https://crr.bc.edu/working-papers/the-role-of-marital-history-early-retirement-benefits-and-the-economic-status-of-women/ %L wp_2003/CRRwp_2003-01.pdf %4 Economic Status/Women/Marital History %$ 10062 %0 Report %D 2003 %T Widowhood, Divorce and Loss of Health Insurance Among Near-Elderly Women: Evidence from the Health and Retirement Study %A David R Weir %A Robert J. Willis %K Adult children %K Demographics %K Medicare/Medicaid/Health Insurance %K Net Worth and Assets %K Women and Minorities %X We have found modest effects of widowhood events on loss of health insurance. There are also modest effects of widowhood on labor supply, which we have not as yet attempted to attribute to insurance demand. Even new widowhood events, however, are not random with respect to initial conditions. Both initial health insurance status and risk of future widowhood are related to basic characteristics observed when married at baseline. When these confounding variables are controlled for in models of the effect of widowhood events on uninsurance, there is no longer statistical evidence of an independent effect of husband's death on risk of losing insurance. Part of the reason why the measured independent effect of widowhood appears small is that there are events within marriage that can also affect insurance coverage, such as retirement or health events. Even though the number of uninsured women whose lack of coverage can be attributed to widowhood is therefore small, and not a distinct major policy motive for changes in age of eligibility for Medicare, uninsurance rates overall among the near elderly, and the potential public burden of cost-shifting from years just before 65 to years just after gaining Medicare coverage, suggest that Medicare eligibility policies should be a focus of continued research. %B Michigan Retirement Research Center Research Paper %I Michigan Retirement Research Center, University of Michigan %C Ann Arbor, MI %G eng %U https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1090894 %4 Widowhood/Divorce/Health Insurance Coverage/Middle Aged Adults/Women %$ 6657 %0 Thesis %D 2002 %T Crediting Care, Citizenship or Marriage? Gender, Race, Class, and Social Security Reform %A Herd, Pamela %K Adult children %K Methodology %K Public Policy %K Women and Minorities %X This project addresses welfare state theoretical debates as to how benefits should be distributed to reduce gender, race, and class inequities. Should benefit eligibility be based on citizenship, care or marital status? Scholars concerned about class-based inequities are supportive of minimum benefits that reward citizenship, while scholars concerned with gender-based inequities are supportive of policies that either reward unpaid care through care credits or policies that soften the economic ramifications of marital dissolution such as improving benefits for divorced women. The reform debate over social security in the United States provides a useful case study of how benefit distribution impacts inequality. Over 20 years have passed since policy analysts first argued that social security benefits needed to be altered to better protect women. These benefits contain two flaws. First, they no longer represent the American family due to the rise in divorce rates, single parent families, and mothers working. Second, family benefits undermine the program's redistributive goals. But no project has attempted to quantitatively evaluate the impact of the three most popular sets of reforms proposed to improve family %I Syracuse University %8 2002 %G eng %U Database ID: DAI-A 63/03, p. 1136, Sep 2002 %4 Family %$ 5011 %+ ISBN 0-493-60902-4 %! Crediting Care, Citizenship or Marriage? Gender, Race, Class, and Social Security Reform %0 Journal Article %J The Journals of Gerontology: Social Sciences %D 2002 %T Gender and Ethnic/Racial Disparities in Health Care Utilization Among Older Adults %A Dorothy D Dunlop %A Larry M Manheim %A Song, Jing %A Rowland W Chang %K Demographics %K Health Conditions and Status %K Healthcare %K Methodology %K Other %K Women and Minorities %X OBJECTIVE: We examine the role of economic access in gender and ethnic/racial disparities in the use of health services among older adults. METHODS: Data from the 1993-1995 study on the Asset of Health Dynamics Among the Oldest Old (AHEAD) were used to investigate differences in the 2-year use of health services by gender and among non-Hispanic White versus minority (Hispanic and African American) ethnic/racial groups. Analyses account for predisposing factors, health needs, and economic access. RESULTS: African American men had fewer physician contacts; minority and non-Hispanic White women used fewer hospital or outpatient surgery services; minority men used less outpatient surgery; and Hispanic women were less likely to use nursing home care, compared with non-Hispanic White men, controlling for predisposing factors and measures of need. Although economic access was related to some medical utilization, it had little effect on gender/ethnic disparities for services covered by Medicare. However, economic access accounted for minority disparities in dental care, which is not covered by Medicare. DISCUSSION: Medicare plays a significant role in providing older women and minorities access to medical services. Significant gender and ethnic/racial disparities in use of medical services covered by Medicare were not accounted for by economic access among older adults with similar levels of health needs. Other cultural and attitudinal factors merit investigation to explain these gender/ethnic disparities. %B The Journals of Gerontology: Social Sciences %I 57B %V 57B %P S221-33 %G eng %U http://psychsoc.gerontologyjournals.org/contents-by-date.0.shtml %N 4 %L pubs_2002_Dunlop_etal.pdf %4 Aged, 80 and Over/Blacks/Statistics and Numerical Data/Comparative Study/Cross Cultural Comparison/Health Services for the Aged/Utilization/Hispanic Americans/Statistics and Numerical Data/Human/Socioeconomic Factors/Support, Non U.S. Government/Support, U.S. Government--PHS/United States/Utilization Review/Whites/Statistics and Numerical Data %$ 4430 %0 Journal Article %J Health Services Research %D 2002 %T Health Insurance and Mammography: Would a Medicare buy-in take us to universal screening? %A Donald H. Taylor Jr. %A Lynn Van Scoyoc %A Hawley, Sarah T. %K Health Conditions and Status %K Medicare/Medicaid/Health Insurance %K Women and Minorities %X Objective. To determine whether health insurance expansioins via a Medicare buy-in might Plausibly increase mammography screening rates among women aged 50-64.Data Sources. Two waves of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) (1994, 1996).Study Design. A longitudinal study with most explanatory variables measured at the second wave of HRS (1994); receipt of mammography, number of physician visits, and breast self exam (BSE) were measured at the third wave (1996).Data Extraction. Our sample included women aged 50-62 in 1994 who answered the second and third HRS interview (n=4,583).Principal Findings. From 1994 to 199,6, 72.7 percent of women received a mammogram. Being insured increased mammography in both unadjusted and adjusted analyses. A simulation of universal insurance coverage in,this age group increased mammography rates only to 75-79 percent from the observed 72.7 percent. When we accounted for potential endogeneity of physician visits and BSE to mammo graphy, physician visits remained a strong predictor of mammography but BSE did not.Conclusion. Even in the presence of universal coverage and very optimistic scenarios regarding the effect of insurance on mammography for, newly insured women, mammography rates would only increase a small amount and gaps in screening would remain. Thus, a Medicare buy-in could be expected to have a small impact on mammography screening rates. %B Health Services Research %I 37 %V 37 %P 1469-1486 %G eng %N 6 %4 Health Insurance/Mammography/Medicare/Women %$ 11902 %0 Journal Article %J Sociological Inquiry %D 2002 %T Self-defined Retirement Status and Engagement in Paid Work Among Older Working-age Women: Comparison Between Childless Women and Mothers %A Namkee G Choi %K Adult children %K Employment and Labor Force %K Net Worth and Assets %K Retirement Planning and Satisfaction %K Women and Minorities %X From changes in retirement laws and incentives many people, including working women, can decide when to retire based on their own preferences and needs. Family structure and familial roles are a major issue of when people will decide to retire, especially if considering women. Differences between women without children and those with children that are no longer living at home, and the likelihood of retirement among people of the two groups, is assessed. The author, also considers those women that take part in bridge jobs as a path to retirement. Detailed demographic findings comparing and contrasting those women with children living at home, those women with children not living at home, and those women who are childless, are given. Analyses of the data showed that women with children living at home were the least likely to claim retirement. Over the 2 years of data studied none of the three groups showed a change in their work status. The author feels that retirement is becoming a symbol of status, rather than a symbol that one has served in the workforce for many years and is now withdrawn %B Sociological Inquiry %I 72 %V 72 %P 43-71 %G eng %N 1 %4 Labor Force/Economic Status/Women/Family/Retirement Planning %$ 8560 %R 10.1111/1475-682X.00005 %0 Book Section %B Innovations in Financing Retirement %D 2002 %T Worklife Determinants of Retirement Income Differentials Between Men and Women %A Phillip B. Levine %A Olivia S. Mitchell %A John W R Phillips %E Z. Bodie %E Hammond, B. %E Olivia S. Mitchell %K Income %K Methodology %K Retirement Planning and Satisfaction %K Women and Minorities %X Women enter retirement having spent fewer years in market, earned less over their lifetimes, and work in different jobs than men of the same age. This study examines whether these differences in work life experiences help explain why many women end with lower level of retirement income in old age. We use Health and Retirement Study (HRS), which provide information on labor market histories along with the ability to predict retirement income from employer pensions, social security benefits, and investment returns. We document differences in anticipated retirement income by sex that exist largely between non-married men and women. Multivariate models show that 85 percent of this retirement income gap can be attributed to differences in lifetime labor market earnings, years worked, and occupational segregation by sex. Our results suggest that as women's work life experiences become more congruent with men's over time, the gap in retirement income between men and women may shrink. %B Innovations in Financing Retirement %I University of Pennsylvania Press %C Philadelphia, PA %P 50-76 %G eng %U http://www.nber.org/papers/w7243 %L wp_1999/Levine_etal.pdf %4 Economics of Gender/Retirement/Retirement Policies/Retirement Incomes/Income by Sex/Women %$ 1126 %+ National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper 7243. Copies available from: National Bureau of Economic Research, 1050 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138. (See also PRC Working Paper; http://prc.wharton.upenn.edu/prc/99-19.PDF) %! Worklife Determinants of Retirement Income Differentials Between Men and Women %0 Journal Article %J Medical Care %D 2001 %T Antihypertensive Medication Use in Hispanic Adults: A comparison with Black adults and White adults %A Joseph J Sudano %A David W. Baker %K Demographics %K Health Conditions and Status %K Healthcare %K Methodology %K Risk Taking %K Women and Minorities %X BACKGROUND. Variations in awareness, treatment, and control of hypertension among different racial/ethnic groups have been widely reported. It is unclear whether these differences are explained fully by differences in socioeconomic status, insurance coverage, health status, and health behaviors, or whether these differences indicate that racial/ethnic subgroups have unique barriers to hypertension control. OBJECTIVES. Determine whether there are significant differences between racial/ethnic groups in medication use for hypertension after adjusting for potentially confounding variables. RESEARCH DESIGN. Cross-sectional analysis of the 1992 Health and Retirement Study. SUBJECTS. 2450 non-Hispanic white, 939 non-Hispanic black, and 345 Hispanic participants, ages 51 to 61, reporting a history of hypertension. MEASURES. Self-reported current antihypertensive medication use. We used logistic regression to adjust for demographics, socioeconomic status, health status, insurance, and health risk behaviors. RESULTS. 63.6 of white adults, 72.6 of black adults, and 52.5 of Hispanic adults reported current medication use to control hypertension (P 0.001 across all three groups). In stratified analysis, the lower rate of use for Hispanic adults was consistent regardless of gender, insurance coverage, or health status. After controlling for all variables, the adjusted prevalence for Hispanic adults was 50.8 and 73.3 for black adults. CONCLUSIONS. The differences in antihypertensive medication use between white adults, black adults, and Hispanic adults, particularly the markedly lower rates among Hispanic adults, are not explained by differences in demographics, socioeconomic status, health insurance coverage, health status, or health risk behaviors. Alternative explanations for these results and areas for future research and intervention are explored. %B Medical Care %I 39 %V 39 %P 575-87. %G eng %N 6 %L pubs_2001_Sudano_MedCare2001.pdf %4 Antihypertensive Agents/Ethnicity/Gender/Comparative Study/Cross Sectional Studies/Drug Utilization Review/Health Services Research/Minorities/Hypertension/Logistic Models/Middle Age/Risk Factors/Social Class/Support, U.S. Government--PHS %$ 4310 %0 Journal Article %J North American Actuarial Review %D 2001 %T Balancing Retirement Security with the Needs of Frail Parents: Caregiving, Financial Transfers, and Work by Women at Midlife %A Richard W. Johnson %A LoSasso, Anthony T. %K Adult children %K Demographics %K Health Conditions and Status %K Healthcare %K Women and Minorities %X Caring for frail elderly parents can interfere with work responsibilities. People who provide care to their parents may need to take time off from work or retire altogether. However, reductions in labor supply at midlife can have serious implications for retirement wealth and, as a result, on economic well-being in later life. This paper examines how family support for the elderly can affect retirement savings by examining the relationship between labor supply, time help to parents, and financial assistance to parents. Using data from the Health and Retirement Study on a nationally representative sample of women ages 53–63, we found that women who helped their parents with personal care assistance worked significantly fewer hours than did those who did not help their parents, whereas those who provided financial assistance worked significantly more hours. Although few persons at midlife presently spend substantial amounts of time helping their elderly parents in any given year, for those who do, the costs can be high. Pressures on families are likely to mount in the near future as falling mortality and fertility rates continue to increase the proportion of the population that is very old and as women continue to play more important roles in the labor market. %B North American Actuarial Review %I 5 %V 5 %G eng %N 1 %4 Aged, 80 and Over/Transfers/Caregiving/Women, Working/Middle Age/Parent %$ 8658 %R 10.1080/10920277.2001.10595957 %0 Report %D 2001 %T Breast Cancer Survival, Work, and Earnings %A Cathy J. Bradley %A Bednarek, Heather %A David Neumark %K Demographics %K Employment and Labor Force %K Health Conditions and Status %K Healthcare %K Medicare/Medicaid/Health Insurance %K Methodology %K Other %K Retirement Planning and Satisfaction %K Social Security %K Women and Minorities %X Relying on data from the Health and Retirement Study, we examine differences between breast cancer survivors and a non-cancer control group in employment, hours worked, wages, and earnings. Overall, breast cancer has a negative impact on the decision to work. However, among survivors who work, hours of work and, correspondingly, annual earnings are higher compared to women in the non-cancer control group. These findings suggest that while breast cancer has a negative effect on women's employment, breast cancer may not be debilitating for those who remain in the work force. We explore numerous possible biases underlying our estimates especially selection based on information in the Health and Retirement Study, and examine related evidence from supplemental data sources. %B NBER Working Paper %I The National Bureau of Economic Research %C Cambridge, MA %G eng %4 Breast Neoplasms/Economics/Mortality/Radiography/Cohort Studies/Diagnostic Tests, Routine/Efficiency/Employment/Economics/Statistics and Numerical Data/Female/Human/Longitudinal Studies/Mammography/Utilization/Middle Age/Models, Econometric/Probability/Research Design/Retirement/Salaries and Fringe Benefits/Statistics and Numerical Data/Social Security/Support, U.S. Government--PHS/Survivors/Statistics and Numerical Data/United States/Epidemiology/Women, Working/Statistics and Numerical Data %$ 6598 %R 10.3386/w8134 %0 Journal Article %J The Journals of Gerontology: Social Sciences %D 2001 %T Duration or Disadvantage? Exploring Nativity, Ethnicity and Health in Midlife %A Jacqueline L. Angel %A Cynthia J. Buckley %A Sakamoto, Arthur %K Demographics %K Employment and Labor Force %K Health Conditions and Status %K Net Worth and Assets %K Women and Minorities %X Objectives This study examined nativity as a risk factor for poor physical and emotional health for an ethnically diverse population making the transition into retirement. The authors addressed whether the health disadvantage observed for immigrants lessens with increased time spent in the country (supporting theories of assimilation) or increases with duration of residence (supporting theories of cumulative disadvantage). Methods The sample was drawn from Waves 1 and 2 of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), an in-depth economic, social, and health database of persons in midlife and beyond. The analyses were restricted to 9,912 native-born and 1,031 foreign-born individuals. Results The data revealed that after socioeconomic factors were controlled, foreign-born individuals were at higher risk of poor emotional health than their native-born counterparts. Although aging immigrants displayed worse health than the native-born population, this disadvantage was mediated by duration of residence (young age at migration) and socioeconomic incorporation. Discussion These findings extend our understanding of nativity and duration as risk factors for poor physical and emotional health. Immigrants may overcome the nativity disadvantages found for emotional distress with increased duration of residence, but the pattern becomes more complicated with the inclusion of race and Hispanic ethnicity. %B The Journals of Gerontology: Social Sciences %I 56B %V 56B %P S275-285 %G eng %U http://psychsoc.gerontologyjournals.org/ %N 5 %L pubs_2001_Angel_JJGSeriesB.pdf %4 Basic Demographics/Health Status/Duration of Residence/Assimilation/Economic Status %$ 8228 %0 Report %D 2001 %T The Health Consequences of Labor Market Segregation %A Oh, Hyun Joo %K Demographics %K Employment and Labor Force %K Health Conditions and Status %K Women and Minorities %X Despite the increased participation of people of color and women throughout all levels of work organization, racial and gender segregation of the labor market persists. These divisions can be considered a generating and perpetuating source of societal inequality, because work is a primary determinant of social and economic status. By implication, the segregation of the labor market may contribute to socioeconomic disparities in health status that have persisted over time. To investigate this hypothesis, I analyze data from the 1992 and 1994 waves of the Health and Retirement Study, which provides information about black and white women and men whose ages range from approximately 51 to 61 years at baseline (1992). The sample is limited to adults who were working in 1992 and who survived until the 1994 interview, during which they reported self-ratings of their health. The empirical results indicate that gender mix is not as important as racial composition. A lower percentage of whites is linked to worse self-reported health for both women and men. In addition, women's health reflects significant race differences in the effects of racial composition. Circumstances involving fewer whites pose health advantages for black women, whereas the health of white women suffers. %I Southern Sociological Society %G eng %4 Health/Labor Supply/Social Inequality/African-Americans/Health Status %$ 1256 %0 Newspaper Article %B Boston Globe %D 2001 %T More Women Over 50 Working Full Time %A Lewis, Diane E. %K Demographics %K Employment and Labor Force %K Women and Minorities %B Boston Globe %I Boston Globe %C Boston, MA %P G2 %8 2001 %G eng %4 Labor Force Participation/Women/Middle Aged Adults %$ 9806 %! More Women Over 50 Working Full Time %& Boston Works %0 Journal Article %J International Migration Review %D 2001 %T Nativity and Self-Assessed Health Among Pre-Retirement Age Hispanics and Non-HispanicWhites %A Jacqueline L. Angel %A Cynthia J. Buckley %A Finch, Brian K. %K Demographics %K Health Conditions and Status %K Women and Minorities %X Economic, social and familial resources are known to influence subjective health assessments. We examine the salience of nativity in determining how these resources influence self-assessed health using a large, nationwide sample of Hispanic and non-Hispanic white adults. The results indicate that while education, accumulated assets and marital status benefit the physical and emotional health of the native and foreign-born, family resources and income are significant only for the native-born. English language proficiency is a significant protective factor for both groups and is especially protective for immigrants. These surprising findings call into question previous studies stressing the positive role of the family in maintaining immigrant health. %B International Migration Review %I 35 %V 35 %P 784-804 %G eng %L pubs_2001_Angel_JIntMigRev.pdf %4 Health Status/Hispanic/Nativity %$ 8546 %R 10.1111/j.1747-7379.2001.tb00041.x %0 Report %D 2001 %T A Precise Characterization of The Black-White Wealth Gap %A Barsky, Robert %A John Bound %A Kerwin K. Charles %A Joseph P. Lupton %K Consumption and Savings %K Women and Minorities %X Previous work on black-white wealth differences has not adequately accounted for the profound disparity between blacks and whites in the distributions of lifetime earnings, and has not provided a metric for judging the economic significance of observed wealth differentials. We construct a synthetic white earnings distribution that is comparable to the black earnings distribution, using a novel weighting scheme that downplays the influence of high-income whites. This sophisticated correction for earnings explains some, but not most, of the observed differences in the wealth distributions. We propose a new metric to gauge the quantitative economic impact of the wealth gap conditional on earnings: the addition to retirement disposable income flows resulting from the annuitization of financial wealth holdings as of retirement. Taking mortality and retirement income sources such as Social Security into account, annuitized wealth has little appreciable affect on retirement income flows for either blacks or whites below the median. Perhaps twenty percent of black households have enough wealth to have a nontrivial effect on post-retirement income flows. Throughout the earnings distribution, however, whites are considerably more likely to have large potential retirement income from financial wealth than their black counterparts. %I University of Michigan %G eng %4 Minorities/Economic disparity %$ 11112 %0 Journal Article %J Research on Aging %D 2001 %T Racial, Ethnic, and Sociodemographic Differences in the level of Psychosocial Distress Among Older Americans %A Mills, Terry L. %A John C Henretta %K Demographics %K Health Conditions and Status %K Net Worth and Assets %K Women and Minorities %X This paper explores the reasons for the observed differences in the level of self-reported depressive symptoms between older African Americans, Hispanic-English speaking, Hispanic-Spanish speaking, and Whites. For all groups in the sample, being male, married, having a high level of education, and good health are strong indicators of lower levels of depressive symptoms. Comparing the levels of self-reported depressive symptoms among the different racial/ethnic groups demonstrated that there are large differences, with the Hispanic-Spanish speaking individuals reporting the highest scores. Results show that language acculturation, the number of years of education, and the number of years of U.S. residency are significant factors that help to explain these differences. %B Research on Aging %I 23 %V 23 %P 131-152 %G eng %N 2 %L pubs_2001_Mills_TRoA.pdf %4 Depressive Symptoms/African-Americans/Hispanics/Whites/Economic Status/Health Status/Acculturation %$ 8524 %R 10.1177/0164027501232001 %0 Journal Article %J Social Science Research %D 2001 %T Residential Segregation and Minority Home Ownership %A Chenoa Flippen %K Demographics %K Housing %K Women and Minorities %X This paper analyzes the impact of residential segregation on the home ownership of Black, White, and Hispanic preretirement adults. By combining individual and household level data from the Health and Retirement Study with metropolitan level characteristics from the 1990 census, I am able to identify the unique effect of metropolitan residential segregation on minority home ownership and by considering the disparate impact of five dimensions of segregation on home ownership I illustrate the mechanisms through which this effect operates. Results clearly demonstrate the negative effect of segregation on minority home ownership, with key differences between Blacks and Hispanics and across dimensions of segregation that highlight the contextual nature of housing stratification and the importance of urban population dynamics to racial and ethnic housing inequality. %B Social Science Research %I 30 %V 30 %P 337-362 %G eng %N 3 %L pubs_2001_Flippen_CSocSciRes.pdf %4 Whites/Hispanic Americans/Residential Segregation/Home Ownership/Social Stratification/Racism/Minority Groups/Black Americans %$ 1242 %R 10.1006/ssre.2001.0701 %0 Journal Article %J Social Security Bulletin %D 2000 %T A Benefit of One's Own: Older Women's Entitlement to Social Security Retirement %A Phillip B. Levine %A Olivia S. Mitchell %A John W R Phillips %K Consumption and Savings %K Health Conditions and Status %K Methodology %K Retirement Planning and Satisfaction %K Social Security %K Women and Minorities %X Using data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) and linked administrative records, we explore differences in old-age benefits between men and women attributable to differences in length of work life and pay. We find that most women are fully insured for Social Security purposes, but those who are not would have to work substantially more to become eligible. Among those who are eligible, additional work would translate into only slightly higher benefits. %B Social Security Bulletin %I 63 %V 63 %P 47-53 %G eng %U https://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/ssb/v63n3/v63n3p47.pdf %N 3 %L pubs_2000_Levine_PSSB.pdf %4 Social Security and Public Pensions/Economics of Gender/Economics of the Elderly/Retirement/Retirement Policies/Old/Social Security/Women %$ 1148 %0 Report %D 2000 %T Family Support of the Elderly and Female Labor Supply: Tradeoffs Among Caregiving, Financial Transfers, and Work %A Richard W. Johnson %A LoSasso, Anthony T. %K Adult children %K Employment and Labor Force %K Healthcare %K Women and Minorities %I The Urban Institute %G eng %4 Transfers/Women, Working/Caregiving/Labor Supply %$ 6582 %0 Newspaper Article %B USA Today %D 2000 %T Fatter women end up with thinner wallets %A Elias, Marilyn %K Health Conditions and Status %K Income %K Women and Minorities %B USA Today %I USA Today %P 9D %8 November 20, 2000 %G eng %4 Women/Income/Health Risk %$ 9842 %! Fatter women end up with thinner wallets %& Life %0 Book %D 2000 %T Forecasting Retirement Needs and Retirement Wealth %A Olivia S. Mitchell %A P. Brett Hammond %A Anna M. Rappaport %K Consumption and Savings %K Health Conditions and Status %K Healthcare %K Pensions %K Retirement Planning and Satisfaction %K Women and Minorities %X Thirteen papers draw on data from the Health and Retirement Study and from other sources to explore people's preparation for and the financial challenges of retirement in the United States. Papers discuss new paths to retirement; how prepared Americans are for retirement; projected retirement wealth and saving adequacy; individual savings and investment choices associated with 401(k) plans; factors explaining retirement savings shortfalls; women's economic well -being at the end of their work lives and the factors that appear to be associated with the poorer economic status of older women relative to older men; the prospects for widow poverty; minorities facing retirement; early retirement windows; the relationship between people's expectations about their retirement, their realizations of retirement, and the role of health shocks in this process; planning for health care needs in retirement; the evaluation of pension entitlements; social security earnings and projected benefits. Mitchell is at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. Hammond is with the Teachers Insurance Annuity Association-College Retirement Equities Fund (TIAA -CREF). Rappaport is at William M. Mercer, Inc. Index. %I University of Pennsylvania Press %C Philadelphia, PA %G eng %U https://pensionresearchcouncil.wharton.upenn.edu/publications/books/forecasting-retirement-needs-and-retirement-wealth/ %4 Retirement/Retirement Policies/Economics of the Elderly/401(k) participation and balances/Women/Minorities/Health Care/Health Shocks %$ 1170 %0 Book Section %B Forecasting Retirement Needs and Retirement Wealth %D 2000 %T Minorities Face Retirement: Worklife Disparities Repeated? %A Honig, Marjorie %E Olivia S. Mitchell %E P. Brett Hammond %E Anna M. Rappaport %K Consumption and Savings %K Retirement Planning and Satisfaction %K Women and Minorities %B Forecasting Retirement Needs and Retirement Wealth %I University of Pennsylvania Press %C Philadelphia %P 235-52 %G eng %U https://pensionresearchcouncil.wharton.upenn.edu/publications/books/forecasting-retirement-needs-and-retirement-wealth/ %4 Economics of the Elderly/Economics of Minorities/Retirement/Retirement Policies/Minorities/Retirement %$ 1004 %& 8 %0 Thesis %D 2000 %T Racial and Ethnic Inequality in Housing Wealth: A Multi-Level Approach %A Chenoa Flippen %K Demographics %K Housing %K Income %K Net Worth and Assets %K Women and Minorities %X That blacks and Hispanics continue to trail whites in wealth, despite significant advances in socioeconomic attainment and decades of anti -discrimination legislation, represents a serious challenge to equal opportunity and a large source of inequality in well-being. Housing wealth is arguably the most important form of assets, comprising the largest share of wealth for most families and providing an important source of wealth generation via appreciation. Understanding why minorities average lower homeownership and housing equity than whites with comparable levels of human capital and financial resources is thus a critical issue for stratification research. My dissertation departs from previous analyses of housing inequality in several ways. First I take a multi-level approach, combining household data from the Health and Retirement Study with neighborhood and metropolitan data from the US Census. Second, I examine housing inequality in a multi-ethnic framework, considering Hispanics in addition to blacks and whites. And finally, I concentrate on the pre-retirement population, which has direct implications for quality of life among the elderly and for wealth transmission across generations. Results demonstrate the negative impact of an important by-product of discrimination, residential segregation, on minority housing. I show that tastes and preferences do not contribute to inequality in housing assets, strongly suggesting the importance of discrimination in undermining minority housing. Subsequently, I show that segregation negatively affects minority housing consumption, depressing both homeownership and housing quality. And finally, I document the negative effect of segregation on the investment aspect of housing. I show that homes in neighborhoods with large or growing minority populations experience lower appreciation than comparable homes in stable and white neighborhoods. Moreover, minority concentration continues to undermine appreciation even after socioeconomic differences across neighborhoods are accounted for. Thus discrimination creates a vicious circle in which minorities are confined to segregated communities with high rates of poverty and poor housing conditions. This engenders supply restrictions detrimental to homeownership and undermines housing appreciation. The resulting inequality in housing wealth detracts from minority well-being and hinders other forms of wealth accumulation. That Hispanic housing is also adversely affected by segregation raises serious concerns for the prospects of Hispanic assimilation. %I The University of Chicago %8 2000 %G eng %U Available from UMI, Ann Arbor, MI. Order No. DA9951782. %4 Black Americans (D083650) %$ 1260 %+ Dissertation Abstracts International, A: The Humanities and Social Sciences; 2000, 60, 12, June, 4619 %! Racial and Ethnic Inequality in Housing Wealth: A Multi-Level Approach %0 Book Section %B Forecasting Retirement Needs and Retirement Wealth %D 2000 %T Women on the Verge of Retirement: Predictors of Retiree Well-Being %A Phillip B. Levine %A Olivia S. Mitchell %A James Moore %E Olivia S. Mitchell %E Hammond, B. %E Rappaport, A. %K Retirement Planning and Satisfaction %K Women and Minorities %B Forecasting Retirement Needs and Retirement Wealth %I University of Pennsylvania Press %C Philadelphia %P 167-207 %G eng %U https://www.researchgate.net/publication/23739651_Women_on_the_Verge_of_Retirement_Predictors_of_Retiree_Well-being %4 Women/Retirement Planning %$ 8144 %+ The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania %! Women on the Verge of Retirement: Predictors of Retiree Well-Being %0 Report %D 1999 %T Evidence of Risk Aversion in the Health and Retirement Study %A Bajtelsmit, Vickie L. %K Net Worth and Assets %K Risk Taking %K Women and Minorities %X This study reviews the literature on individual risk aversion and investment allocation. Relative risk aversion is estimated using the 1994 wave of the Health and Retirement Study, a large nationally representative sample of households nearing retirement. After controlling for age, income, dependents, and other demographic characteristics, the results confirm earlier findings of decreasing relative risk aversion. Single women are found to be relatively more risk averse than married couples. Risky portfolio allocation is significantly lower for older households, for those with lower educational levels, and for black households, when housing is not included in the definition of wealth. Examination of the wealth accumulation in this sample of households indicates excessive levels of debt and insufficient savings are common. A smaller sample of individuals completed an experimental component of the survey designed to measure risk aversion with respect to gain or loss of income. The respondents self-professed risk aversion hasa positive impact on risky allocation but the significance level is low. %I Colorado State University %G eng %4 Net Worth/Risk Aversion/Investments/Minorities %$ 6650 %0 Journal Article %J The Urban Institute %D 1999 %T The Gender Gap in Pension Wealth: Is Women's Progress in the Labor Market Equalizing Retirement Benefits? %A Richard W. Johnson %K Demographics %K Employment and Labor Force %K Net Worth and Assets %K Women and Minorities %B The Urban Institute %I The Retirement Project Brief Series %V The Retirement Project Brief Series %G eng %U https://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/69736/310238-The-Gender-Gap-in-Pension-Wealth.PDF %N No. 1 %4 Pension Wealth/Gender/Women/Labor Force %$ 8668 %0 Report %D 1998 %T Family Structure and Economic Well-Being of Black, Hispanic, and White Pre-Retirement Adults %A Chenoa Flippen %A Tienda, Marta %K Adult children %K Net Worth and Assets %K Women and Minorities %X This paper examines how family structure is related to racial and ethnic inequality among older populations. We show that intergenerational living serves the economic needs of minority and unmarried female elders more than non-minority and married elders. The greater economic motivation for co-residence among minority and female elders was suggested both by their higher reliance on the income of co-resident kin and by their subjective evaluations of who benefited most from co-residence. However, when the contributions of co-resident kin are weighed against the additional costs they bring to the household, the inequality-reducing effect of extension falls considerably. The contributions per co-resident kin are smaller in minority households, and thus the economic well-being of elders living in extended households is often no better, and occasionally worse, than had they lived alone. Only unmarried women receive a substantial net boost from co-residence, primarily because adult offspring who co-reside with unmarried women contribute more than their counterparts in unmarried male or couple households. %B Office of Population Research working paper %I Princeton University %C Princeton %G eng %U https://ideas.repec.org/p/pri/opopre/opr9802.pdf.html %4 Family Structure/Economic Status/Black Americans/Hispanic Americans %$ 6652 %0 Thesis %D 1998 %T The Impact of Multiple Caregiving Roles on Well-being: A longitudinal study of middle-aged adults %A Perez-Cahill, Danae %K Adult children %K Demographics %K Health Conditions and Status %K Healthcare %K Women and Minorities %X This longitudinal study examined the experience of caregiving among a nationally-representative sample of 10,537 middle-aged adults participating in Wave 1 and Wave 2 of the Health and Retirement Study. Individuals were classified as parent caregivers, child caregivers, and multiple (parent and child) caregivers. The low incidence of multiple caregiving found among these middle-aged adults questions the validity of the phenomenon described as the 'sandwich generation.' Females comprised the majority of the parent, child, and multiple caregiving groups. Contrary to expectations, black and latina caregivers were not more likely than whites to hold parent and multiple caregiving roles. A high frequency of caregiving role losses and a low frequency of caregiving role assumptions occurred between Wave 1 and Wave 2. Most notable was the finding that 41% of multiple caregivers and 70% of parent caregivers in Wave 1 became noncaregivers in Wave 2. In addition, only.4% And 6.5% Of women assumed multiple care and parent care, respectively. These findings suggest that the experience of caregiving during the middle-generation years is of short duration and likely to decrease over time. No support was found for the 'caregiving pile up effect' (Doress-Worters, 1994) among those holding multiple caregiving roles. Rather, female caregivers experienced a decrease in well-being regardless of their caregiving role transitions, while caregivers who gained or maintained caregiving reported better physical health than those who lost caregiving. In addition, caregivers' well-being did not differ from that of noncaregivers, with the exception of ADLs (better for caregivers). Ethnicity was found to play an important and complex role in predicting transitions in caregiving and well-being. As hypothesized, being a black or latina caregiver who lost parent care predicted worse well-being. With regards to the maintenance or assumption of child care, however, being a minority woman accounted for worse well-being. The negative consequences of child caregiving for latinas is especially intriguing given their greater likelihood to maintain child care. There was some support for the notion that minorities' traditional family values in support of caregiving predict better well-being for women maintaining child care or for multiple caregivers. %I University of Massachusetts, Amherst %8 1998 %G eng %U Database ID: DAI-B 59/10, p. 5584, Apr 1999 %4 Black %$ 5020 %+ 0-599-07364-0 %! The Impact of Multiple Caregiving Roles on Well-being: A longitudinal study of middle-aged adults %0 Report %D 1998 %T The Impact of Pay Inequality, Occupational Segregation, and Lifetime Work Experience on Retirement Income of Women and Minorities %A Olivia S. Mitchell %A Phillip B. Levine %A John W R Phillips %K Demographics %K Housing %K Income %K Net Worth and Assets %K Pensions %K Social Security %K Women and Minorities %X In this study the researchers review data on earnings and search for differences between men and women, as well as, differences between whites and minorities. Specifically, the researchers examine Social Security, employer-provided pensions, and financial assets, like homes. Observations and analysis of the data show that occupational segregation along with pay differences explain the vast majority of the retirement income differences. Most of the pay difference between men and women is in the form of pension size. Many interesting findings are given with possible explanations and ways of fixing the discrepancies. Cross-tabulations are done to show differences between the married and non-married, as well. %G eng %4 Earnings and Benefits File/Social Security and Public Pensions/Pensions/Retirement Incomes/Assets/Housing Equity/Female/Minorities/Whites %$ 6556 %0 Journal Article %J American Economic Review %D 1998 %T Married Women's Retirement Expectations: Do Pensions and Social Security Matter? %A Honig, Marjorie %K Methodology %K Pensions %K Retirement Planning and Satisfaction %K Social Security %K Women and Minorities %B American Economic Review %I 88 %V 88 %P 202-206 %G eng %U https://ideas.repec.org/a/aea/aecrev/v88y1998i2p202-06.html %N 2 %L pubs_1998_Honig_MAER.pdf %4 Retirement/Retirement Policies/Social Security and Public Pensions/Economics of Gender/Pension/Retirement/Social Security/Women %$ 1006 %0 Thesis %D 1998 %T Two Essays on the Labor Market %A Melvin Stephens Jr. %K Employment and Labor Force %K Income %K Pensions %K Women and Minorities %X This dissertation contains essays which examine two aspects of the labor market that have undergone rapid changes in recent years. With dramatic increases in the fraction of workers having defined contribution pensions as their primary source of pension coverage, it is important to understand the role of these types of pensions on worker incentives and compensation. At the same time, the composition of displaced workers has seen many changes. In understanding how families cope with a job loss, one must examine the long-run impact of displacement. One chapter examines incentive differentials between defined benefit (DB) and defined contribution (DC) pensions and their impact on workers' compensation. Agency theories of DB pensions posit that deferred compensation can be used as a shirking reduction device. By withholding a portion of the worker's compensation, the firm will increase worker productivity, which in turn results in higher career compensation for pension covered workers. While DB pensions implicitly require workers to forgo current compensation, DC pensions do not impose these constraints on workers due to the portability of these plans. Since characteristics of workers with pensions are similar across different types of pension plans, DC covered workers offer a better comparison group than workers without pensions for testing these theories. Using both self-reported and administrative data from the Health and Retirement Study, this essay is unable to find support for the implication that workers with defined benefit pensions receive more career compensation. The other chapter examines the effect of a husband's job loss on the labor supply of his wife, an effect known as the 'added worker' effect. Unlike past studies which only focus on the effect of the husband's current unemployment status, this essay analyzes the wife's labor supply response in the periods before and after the husband's displacement in order to examine the long run adjustments to an earnings shock. Theoretical predictions for the timing and magnitude of the added worker effect are derived from a family life-cycle labor supply model and alternative predictions are obtained by including liquidity constraints and uncertainty in the analysis. Using the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, small pre-displacement effects are found along with larger effects which persist for many years after the initial displacement. The time path of the wives' responses differs by the type of displacement, possibly due to differences in the information wives acquire prior to the displacement. %I University of Michigan %8 1998 %G eng %4 Women's Studies (0453) %$ 5026 %+ ISBN 0-599-08469-3 %! Two Essays on the Labor Market %0 Thesis %D 1997 %T Gender Privilege in Retirement Planning and Saving %A Scott, Megan Mary %K Adult children %K Consumption and Savings %K Healthcare %K Retirement Planning and Satisfaction %K Women and Minorities %X This dissertation combines qualitative and quantitative methods to explore how husbands and wives divide and share retirement planning and saving. The qualitative analysis focuses primarily on testing hypotheses about how class, marital power and gender enactments influence the division of saving and financial planning activities over the lifecourse. Interviews with retired couples and ethnographic data from financial planning seminars comprise the qualitative portion of the thesis. The quantitative sections are based on a secondary analysis of data about 2451 working couples from the 1992 wave of the Health and Retirement Study which tested these hypotheses. The qualitative findings suggest that wives' savings activities--to 'stretch' household resources, like domestic labor--are undervalued. In contrast, husbands' activities--to grow and monitor accumulated reserves--are valued, often eclipsing the labor of other household members. Upon retirement, these male activities become even more salient as they replace male 'breadwinning.' Additionally, in many middle class households, the husband's earnings contribute to 'primary retirement reserves' while wives' earnings are earmarked for 'secondary savings.' The quantitative analysis indicates that balance of marital power (as resource theory suggests) influences which spouse will handle family finances, particularly for black couples. However, wives relatively lower levels of retirement planning and disadvantaged knowledge of discretionary savings reserves can not be explained by the balance of relative earnings %I State University of New York at Stony Brook %8 1997 %G eng %4 Women's Studies (0453) %$ 5023 %+ 0-591-76837-2 %! Gender Privilege in Retirement Planning and Saving %0 Journal Article %J Social Security Bulletin %D 1997 %T Life-Cycle Aspects of Poverty Among Older Women %A Choudhury, Sharmila %A Leonesio, Michael V. %K Net Worth and Assets %K Women and Minorities %B Social Security Bulletin %I 60 %V 60 %G eng %U https://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/ssb/v60n2/v60n2p17.pdf %N 2 %L pubs_1997_Choudhury_SSSB.pdf %4 Women/Economic Status %$ 8106 %0 Report %D 1997 %T Social Security Reform: Implications for Women s Retirement Income %A United States General Accounting Office %K Employment and Labor Force %K Retirement Planning and Satisfaction %K Social Security %K Women and Minorities %X Question: evaluate (1) why women s benefits are lower than men s under the current Social Security system, (2) the possible differential effects on women of the new privatization reform proposals, and (3) what can be done to minimize the possibly negative effect on women of certain elements of the Social Security reform proposals. Finding: Using the NIA-funded Health and Retirement Study, as well as citing some research conducted by NIA-funded grantees, GAO noted that women s Social Security benefits are often lower than men s due to lower wages and fewer years in the workforce. Some of the proposals to reform Social Security by shifting responsibility of saving for retirement to individuals via accounts funded as a proportion of their salary could make the difference between men s and women s benefits worse. For example, greater risk aversion among women could lead to lower investment returns; further, women could face substantially lower benefits (and hence a lower likelihood of retirement income adequacy) if annuitization formulae take their longer life expectancy into account. Recommendation: Improve information about investment objectives and financial planning to reduce differences in investment strategy and improve retirees ability to manage their assets. Consider mandatory annuitization to reduce the possibility of individuals outliving their savings. Use unisex lifetables to ensure those with comparable savings at retirement have comparable monthly benefits. %I Washington, DC, U.S. General Accounting Office %G eng %4 social Security benefit claiming/labor force/women/retirement income / United States./privatization %$ 62544 %0 Report %D 1997 %T Social Security Reform: Implications for Women's Retirement Income %A Cackley, Alicia Puente %K Adult children %K Demographics %K Net Worth and Assets %K Social Security %K Women and Minorities %X This report examines why women's benefits are lower than men's under the current Social Security system and evaluates the possible differential effects of the new privatization reform proposals on women. Average SS benefits are currently lower for women because of their lower rates of labor force participation and lower earning levels- both factors that contribute to the calculation of benefits. The reform proposals that would most affect women differently than men are the ones that create individual private savings accounts and change the way benefits would be distributed from those accounts. Because women earn less than men on average and are less likely to engage in risky high yielding assets, they would have less to invest and most likely would accumulate relatively less. Although differences in labor force participation and earnings between genders are expected to be reduced, they will not disappear. Therefore, any reform that bases benefits on earnings will continue to benefit men more than women. A system that relied mostly on individual investments would allow women workers a chance to increase their retirement benefits. %I Washington, DC, United States General Accounting Office %G eng %U http://www.gao.gov (pdf file) %4 Economic Status/Family/Basic Demographics/Social Security/Women %$ 8170 %0 Journal Article %J American Journal of Public Health %D 1997 %T Socioeconomic Status and Racial and Ethnic Differences in Functional Status Associated with Chronic Diseases %A Raynard Kington %A James P Smith %K Demographics %K Health Conditions and Status %K Income %K Methodology %K Other %K Retirement Planning and Satisfaction %K Women and Minorities %X OBJECTIVES: This study examined the relationships between wealth and income and selected racial and ethnic differences in health. METHODS: Cross-sectional data on a national sample of 9744 men and women aged 51 through 61 from the 1992 Health and Retirement Survey were analyzed to examine the association between socioeconomic status and racial and ethnic differences in functional status among those with hypertension, diabetes, a heart condition, and arthritis. RESULTS: Compared with Whites, African Americans report higher rates of hypertension, diabetes, and arthritis, while Hispanics report higher rates of hypertension and diabetes and a lower rate of heart conditions. Accounting for differences in education, income, and wealth had little effect on these prevalence differences. In general, among those with chronic diseases, African Americans and Hispanics reported worse function than Whites. This disadvantage was eliminated in every case by controlling for socioeconomic status. CONCLUSIONS: While socioeconomic status, including wealth, accounts for much of the difference in functional status associated with these chronic diseases. It plays a relatively small role in explaining differences in the prevalence of chronic disease, possibly reflecting different causal pathways. %B American Journal of Public Health %I 87 %V 87 %P 805-10 %G eng %N 5 %4 Arthritis/Blacks/Chronic Disease/Cross Sectional Studies/Diabetes Mellitus/Female/Health Surveys/Heart Diseases/Hispanic Americans/Human/Hypertension/Ethnology/Etiology/Physiopathology/Income/Middle Age/Prevalence/Research Design/Retirement/Socioeconomic Factors/Support, U.S. Government--PHS/Whites %$ 4260 %0 Journal Article %J The Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences %D 1997 %T The Structure of Health Status among Hispanic, African American, and White Older Adults %A Timothy E. Stump %A Daniel O. Clark %A Johnson, R.J. %A Frederic D Wolinsky %K Demographics %K Disabilities %K Health Conditions and Status %K Methodology %K Women and Minorities %X Activities of daily living (ADLs), instrumental ADLs, and disability markers have traditionally been the most common indicators of functional status. The study on Asset and Health Dynamics Among the Oldest Old (AHEAD) is used to replicate a five-dimensional measurement model composed of these observable indicators among the older adult self-respondents. The items available to measure upper body disability were found wanting, but the lower body disability, and the basic, household, and advanced ADL constructs were confirmed. Analyses of the measurement model separately among subgroups of women, men, Hispanics, Mexican Americans, African Americans, and Whites found no meaningful differences. Two structural models linking the lower body disability, and the basic, household, and advanced ADL constructs to perceived health and depression were also replicated among the older adult self-respondents, as well as separately among African Americans and among Whites. These models reaffirmed the dominant role of lower body disability on the everyday activities of older adults, and on their perceived health and depression. %B The Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences %I 52B %V 52B %P 49-60 %G eng %N Spec %L pubs_1997_Stump_TJGSeriesB.pdf %4 Disability/Disability/Activities of Daily Living/Aged, 80 and Over/Blacks/Whites/Female/Geriatric Assessment/Health Status/Hispanic Americans/Models, Theoretical/Socioeconomic Factors/Support, Non U.S. Government/Support, U.S. Government--PHS %$ 4305 %0 Book %D 1997 %T Who Will Care for Us? Aging and Long-term Care in Multicultural America %A Ronald J. Angel %A Jacqueline L. Angel %K Demographics %K Women and Minorities %I New York University Press %C NY %G eng %4 Minority aged/Social conditions %$ 8156 %0 Report %D 1996 %T Labor Force Behavior of Hispanic Elderly: Insights from the HRS %A Chenoa Flippen %A Tienda, Marta %K Employment and Labor Force %K Women and Minorities %X This paper seeks to augment the relatively scarce information available about the labor market and economic characteristics of Hispanic elderly. Specifically, we examine the factors associated with the late-aged labor force participation decisions of elderly Hispanic men and women, and how they are related to aggregate economic well-being. Our results indicate a high degree of labor force instability and involuntary joblessness among older Hispanics. For many Hispanic elders, retirement is not the voluntary termination of a career job, but instead results from prolonged or frequent periods of joblessness that eventuate in retirement. This process of labor force withdrawal was markedly different for men and women, and was influenced by age, education, job characteristics (e.g., firm size and industrial sector), and employment experience (e.g., experience of being laid off and pension coverage). Low rates of pension coverage and low savings for retirement among the Hispanic elderly imply a high degree of economic vulnerability, especially for the unmarried elderly and for those who do not receive assistance from other family members. %G eng %L wp_1996/Flippen_96-032.pdf %4 Labor Force/Hispanic %$ 6509 %0 Thesis %D 1996 %T Labor Force Behavior of Married Women in Later Life %A Pienta, Amy M. %K Demographics %K Employment and Labor Force %K Women and Minorities %I State University of New York - Buffalo %8 1996 %G eng %4 Women %$ 6541 %+ Doctoral Dissertation %! Labor Force Behavior of Married Women in Later Life %0 Journal Article %J Journal of the American Geriatrics Society %D 1996 %T Pain in Ethnic Minorities: A Report from the Health and Retirement Study %A Kramer, B.J. %A Linda A. Wray %A Ferrell, B.A. %K Women and Minorities %B Journal of the American Geriatrics Society %I 44 %V 44 %P P263-263 %G eng %N 9 %4 Minorities %$ 8350 %0 Journal Article %J The Gerontologist %D 1996 %T Race Differences in Labor Force Attachment and Disability Status %A John Bound %A Michael Schoenbaum %A Timothy A Waidmann %K Demographics %K Disabilities %K Employment and Labor Force %K Health Conditions and Status %K Methodology %K Other %K Women and Minorities %X We used the first wave of the Health and Retirement Survey to study the effect of health on the labor force activity of black and white men and women in their 50s. The evidence we present confirms the notion that health is an extremely important determinant of early labor force exit. Our estimates suggest that health differences between blacks and whites can account for most of the racial gap in labor force attachment for men. For women, when participation rates are comparable, our estimates imply that black women would be substantially more likely to work than white women were it not for the marked health differences. We also found for both men and women that poor health has a substantially larger effect on labor force behavior for blacks. The evidence suggests that these differences result from black/white differences in access to the resources necessary to retire. %B The Gerontologist %I 36 %V 36 %P 311-21. %G eng %U https://academic.oup.com/gerontologist/article/36/3/311/705045 %N 3 %L pubs_1996_Bound_JGer.pdf %4 Blacks/Comparative Study/Disabled Persons/Employment/Female/Health Status/Human/Middle Age/Models, Theoretical/Odds Ratio/Support, Non U.S. Government/Support, U.S. Government--PHS/Whites %$ 4025 %R https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/36.3.311 %0 Report %D 1996 %T Race Differences in the Multiple Social Roles of Midlife Women: Implications for Mental Well-Being %A Brown, Diane R. %A Cochran, Donna %A McGregor, Karl C. %K Demographics %K Health Conditions and Status %K Women and Minorities %X An examination of the relationship between multiple role participation and the level of distress experienced by midlife African-American and white women. Data from the Health and Retirement Study regarding 2,699 women ages 55-64 show that more whites were married than African Americans. Further, African Americans were more likely to: be separated, unemployed, sick, and disabled; provide care to one of their own children, a parent, or a husband's parent; and provide at least 100 hours of care to a grandchild. White women were more likely to occupy more roles and to be homemakers. When other factors are controlled (eg, age, education), the results show no difference for either race. Higher levels of depression for African Americans appear attributable to their lower likelihood of being married and having fewer social roles than white women. %G eng %4 Women--Roles/Middle Aged Adults/Black Americans/Whites/Psychological Distress/multiple role participation distress level relationship, midlife African/white women/Health Status %$ 1280 %0 Journal Article %J The Gerontologist %D 1996 %T The Role of Bridge Jobs in the Retirement Transition: Gender, Race and Ethnicity %A Joseph F. Quinn %A Kozy, M. %K Employment and Labor Force %K Health Conditions and Status %K Net Worth and Assets %K Retirement Planning and Satisfaction %K Women and Minorities %X This paper uses the first wave of HRS data to describe the retirement patterns of the 1990s and to investigate whether these patterns differ by race and ethnicity. Results demonstrate that retirement patterns are varied, even within narrowly defined age groups. Many Americans, probably more in the future, are choosing to retire gradually and are turning to bridge jobs as a transitional stage between a career job and complete labor force withdrawal. There are in fact differences in how people leave the labor force by race and ethnicity, although they do not fall into an obvious pattern. This wave of data shows that Hispanic men are more likely than both white and black men to be on or have last worked on a bridge job. Among women, blacks are least likely to have last worked on a bridge job. Further research on these results is planned for when the future waves of HRS data become available. %B The Gerontologist %I 36 %V 36 %P 363-372 %G eng %N 3 %L pubs_1996_Quinn_JGer.pdf %4 Bridge Jobs/Labor Force Participation/Retirement Planning/Health Status/Economic Status/Blacks/Hispanics/Women %$ 8042 %R 10.1093/geront/36.3.363 %0 Journal Article %J Journal of Human Resources %D 1995 %T Gender, Disabilities, and Employment in the Health and Retirement Study %A Loprest, Pamela %A Rupp, Kalman %A Sandell, Steven H. %K Consumption and Savings %K Demographics %K Employment and Labor Force %K Health Conditions and Status %K Methodology %K Women and Minorities %X This paper examines disabilities of older women and men and analyzes gender differences in the effect of disabilities on labor force participation using information on men and women aged 51-61 from the early release of the first wave of the Health and Retirement Survey. Our results demonstrate the importance of using multiple measures of disabilities (we use work limitations, functional limitations, and specific health impairments) to document gender differences and understand the connections between disabilities and work. We find that men and women have different rates of disability, and that both men and women working in occupations with greater physical requirements exhibit higher rates of disabilities than other workers. We also find that measures of functional limitations and health impairments both have significant negative effects on labor force participation. The effects of disabilities on labor force participation are larger for men and single women than for married women. %B Journal of Human Resources %I 30 %V 30 %P S293-318 %G eng %N 0 Suppl. %L pubs_1995_Loprest_PJHR.pdf %4 Health Production/Nutrition/Mortality/Morbidity/Economic Behavior/Labor Force Participation/Economics of Gender/Gender/Health/Labor Force/Women %$ 1036 %R 10.2307/146286 %0 Journal Article %J Journal of Human Resources %D 1995 %T Racial and Ethnic Differences in Wealth in the Health and Retirement Study %A James P Smith %K Demographics %K Income %K Methodology %K Net Worth and Assets %K Women and Minorities %X This paper examines wealth data in the Health and Retirement Study (HRS). In comparison with asset data in other major surveys, the quality of HRS asset data is high. Missing asset data does remain a problem, however, to which future HRS analysts must remain sensitive. Evidence is presented showing that it is no accident that asset data are missing, and solutions for imputing missing data are developed. Finally, racial and ethnic wealth disparities are large. These minority wealth disparities are due in part to differential inheritances and desired bequests as inequities perpetuate themselves across generations; the disparities are also due to lower minority incomes, poorer health, and an excessively narrow definition of wealth that excludes Social Security and employer pensions. %B Journal of Human Resources %I 30 %V 30 %P S158-83 %G eng %N 0, Suppl. %L pubs_1995_Smith_JJHR.pdf %4 Economics of Minorities/Personal Income and Wealth Distribution/Wealth/Ethnicity/Data Collection and Data Estimation Methodology %$ 1106 %0 Report %D 1993 %T The Subjective Probabilities of Retirement of White, Black, and Hispanic Married Women %A Honig, Marjorie %K Expectations %K Retirement Planning and Satisfaction %K Women and Minorities %X Analyses by race and ethnicity of several important dimensions of labor market behavior have been constrained in the past by limited samples of black and especially of Hispanic populations in nationally representative data sets. This paper uses a partial sample from the new Health and Retirement Survey, and provides the first comparative picture of the current labor force status, accumulated labor force experience, and pension and health insurance coverage of pre-retirement non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic black, and Hispanic married women, as well as the first insights into the factors influencing retirement decisions of black and Hispanic married women. A model of the subjective probability that married women currently working full-time will continue to work full-time after age 62 is estimated for each population. The analysis focuses on the extent to which married women, in forming retirement expectations, take account of their own economic opportunities as well as factors related to the value of their time to the family. The results provide evidence that important aspects of current compensation such as health and disability insurance, as well as expected deferred compensation in the form of pension and Social Security benefits, are significant determinants of the likelihood of continued work for each of the three populations. %I University of Michigan %G eng %U http://www.psc.isr.umich.edu/pubs/series.html %4 Subjective Probability/Retirement/Women %$ 6503