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Women's employment, marriage, motherhood and mortality: A test of the multiple role and role accumulation hypotheses

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  • Martikainen, Pekka

Abstract

Two contrasting hypotheses on the effects of combining marital, parental and work roles on mortality are analysed in this paper. The 'multiple role' hypothesis suggests that the effects are harmful, but the 'role accumulation' hypothesis argues that the benefits will outweigh the possible harmful effects. This paper uses record linkage data for all 35-64 year-old non-pensioned Finnish women to examine the two hypotheses. Women with all three roles of wife, mother and employee had low mortality. This, however, was a reflection of the main effects of these three variables. Only lone mothers with >1 child--about 4% of the study population--were characterized as having a somewhat deviant mortality from what was to be expected on the basis of the main effects model. The high mortality in this group was mainly due to causes of death related to accidents and violence and circulatory diseases. Further analysis indicated that the excess mortality among lone mothers with two or more children and the lack of interactions for any other role constellation was similar in all age and educational groups. It is concluded that neither of the hypotheses on multiple roles are very relevant for the analysis of female mortality and that more attention should be devoted to understanding the contribution of possible selection effects leading to marriage and motherhood and the contribution of the 'healthy worker effect' in creating low mortality for the employed.

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  • Martikainen, Pekka, 1995. "Women's employment, marriage, motherhood and mortality: A test of the multiple role and role accumulation hypotheses," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 40(2), pages 199-212, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:40:y:1995:i:2:p:199-212
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    Cited by:

    1. Tabea Bucher-Koenen & Helmut Farbmacher & Raphael Guber & Johan Vikström, 2020. "Double Trouble: The Burden of Child-rearing and Working on Maternal Mortality," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 57(2), pages 559-576, April.
    2. E. Hill & Jenet Erickson & Kaylene Fellows & Giuseppe Martinengo & Sarah Allen, 2014. "Work and Family over the Life Course: Do Older Workers Differ?," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 35(1), pages 1-13, March.
    3. Hossain, Babul & James, K.S., 2024. "Economics of widowhood mortality in adult women in India," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 340(C).
    4. Michael Rendall & Margaret Weden & Melissa Favreault & Hilary Waldron, 2011. "The Protective Effect of Marriage for Survival: A Review and Update," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 48(2), pages 481-506, May.
    5. Robin S. Högnäs & David J. Roelfs & Eran Shor & Christa Moore & Thomas Reece, 2017. "J-Curve? A Meta-Analysis and Meta-Regression of Parity and Parental Mortality," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 36(2), pages 273-308, April.
    6. Shor, Eran & Roelfs, David J. & Bugyi, Paul & Schwartz, Joseph E., 2012. "Meta-analysis of marital dissolution and mortality: Reevaluating the intersection of gender and age," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 75(1), pages 46-59.
    7. Sekine, Michikazu & Chandola, Tarani & Martikainen, Pekka & Marmot, Michael & Kagamimori, Sadanobu, 2006. "Socioeconomic inequalities in physical and mental functioning of Japanese civil servants: Explanations from work and family characteristics," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 63(2), pages 430-445, July.
    8. Karen van Hedel & Heta Moustgaard & Mikko Myrskylä & Pekka Martikainen, 2021. "Work-family typologies and mental health among women in early working ages," MPIDR Working Papers WP-2021-015, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany.
    9. Eran Shor & David Roelfs & Misty Curreli & Lynn Clemow & Matthew Burg & Joseph Schwartz, 2012. "Widowhood and Mortality: A Meta-Analysis and Meta-Regression," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 49(2), pages 575-606, May.
    10. Sabbath, Erika L. & Mejía-Guevara, Iván & Noelke, Clemens & Berkman, Lisa F., 2015. "The long-term mortality impact of combined job strain and family circumstances: A life course analysis of working American mothers," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 146(C), pages 111-119.
    11. Jennifer Montez & Erika Sabbath & M. Glymour & Lisa Berkman, 2014. "Trends in Work–Family Context Among U.S. Women by Education Level, 1976 to 2011," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 33(5), pages 629-648, October.
    12. Sperlich, Stefanie & Geyer, Siegfried, 2015. "The mediating effect of effort-reward imbalance in household and family work on the relationship between education and women's health," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 131(C), pages 58-65.
    13. Stefanie Sperlich & Sonja Arnhold-Kerri & Siegfried Geyer, 2011. "What accounts for depressive symptoms among mothers? The impact of socioeconomic status, family structure and psychosocial stress," International Journal of Public Health, Springer;Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), vol. 56(4), pages 385-396, August.

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