Socioeconomic Status, Time Scarcity and Well-Being in Retirement

We tend to think of retirement as a great equalizer when it comes to relief from the pernicious time scarcity characterizing the lives of many individuals in the labor force. Puzzlingly, this is not entirely the case. Using data from the MTUS (N=15,390) in combination with long-term participant observation (980 hours) and in-depth interviews (N=53), I show that socioeconomic characteristics are important determinants of retiree time scarcity. Neighborhood disadvantage gets under the skin via time exchanges that are forged by both neighborhood and peer network characteristics. The SES-based ‘time projects of surviving and thriving’ undergirding the experience of time scarcity lead to divergent strategies of action and differing consequences for well-being. For the advantaged, the experience of time scarcity is protective for well-being in later life, as it emerges from the ‘work of thriving’ and managing a relative abundance of choices. For the disadvantaged, the later life experience of time scarcity is shaped by cumulative inequality, further exacerbating inequalities in well-being. The final section of the article offers an analysis and interpretation of these results, putting retiree time scarcity in conversation with the broader literature on socioeconomic status and well-being.

Life Course Stressors and Functional Limitations in Later Life Among White, Black, and Hispanic Adults

Although striking racial and ethnic disparities in health are manifest during later life, they may be rooted in early-life exposures. Drawing from cumulative inequality theory, we investigate whether experiencing life course stressors increases the risk of later-life functional limitations and whether this relationship differs by race and ethnicity. This study utilizes longitudinal data from the Health and Retirement Study to test whether six indicators of child stressors and eleven indicators of adult stressors predict trajectories of the onset and severity of functional limitations in later life among a diverse sample of adults. We find that child and adult stressors are associated with earlier onset and greater severity of functional limitations during later life. Mediation analyses reveal the indirect influence of child stressors via adult stressors on onset and severity of functional limitations; however, the indirect effects are slightly stronger for Black and Hispanic adults than their White counterparts (i.e., moderated mediation). In sum, child stressors, in and of themselves, do not increase functional limitations among Black and Hispanic people but are associated with greater adult stress exposure, leading to more functional limitations in later life. Disparities in functional limitations are also partly due to lower education and less wealth among Black and Hispanic adults.

Disability and the Transition to Adulthood in the United States

This chapter provides a synthesis of the literature on the transition to adulthood among emerging adults with a disability in the United States. The life course paradigm was used to frame the discussion in the context of demographic trends and contemporary circumstances regarding major life transitions in the areas of education, employment, independent living, and sex, marriage, and parenthood. A critical assessment of the current state of the literature from a social versus medical model of disability in these central life domains provides a foundation from which sociologists can explore processes of cumulative inequality embedded in the relatively uncharted lives of transition-age youth with a disability.

Do Early-Life Social, Behavioral, and Health Exposures Increase Later-Life Arthritis Incidence?

Objectives: This study investigates direct and indirect influences of childhood social, behavioral, and health exposures on later-life osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis development. Methods: Drawing from cumulative inequality theory and six waves of the Health and Retirement Study (2004–2014), we estimate structural equation modeling-based discrete-time survival analysis of the association between six childhood exposure domains and both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis incidence for men ( n = 2720) and women ( n = 2974). Using the delta method to test for mediation, we examine indirect effects via selected health-related risks and resources. Results: Risky adolescent behavior is associated with rheumatoid arthritis incidence for women (h.O.R. = 1.883, 95% C.I. [1.016, 3.490]), whereas several types of childhood exposures are associated with later-life osteoarthritis development for both men and women. Experiencing two or more childhood socioeconomic disadvantages is indirectly associated with osteoarthritis (men: coef. = 0.024, 95% C.I. [0.003, 0.045]; women: coef. = 0.111, 95% C.I. [0.071, 0.150]) and rheumatoid arthritis (men: coef. = 0.037, 95% C.I. [0.000, 0.074]; women: coef. = 0.097, 95% C.I. [0.035, 0.159]) development through adult body mass index. Discussion: Findings highlight the importance of childhood contexts in understanding the development of later-life osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Life Course Stressors and Functional Limitations in Later Life among White, Black, and Hispanic Adults: Deleterious, Hardening, or Benign?

Objectives Although striking racial and ethnic disparities in health are manifest during later life, they may be rooted in early-life exposures. Drawing from cumulative inequality theory, we investigate whether life course stressors are associated with risk of later life functional limitations and whether this relationship differs by race and ethnicity. Methods We utilize longitudinal data from the Health and Retirement Study to test whether child and adult stressors predict trajectories of the occurrence and severity of functional limitations among a diverse sample of older adults. Results Child and adult stressors are associated with greater occurrence and severity of functional limitations during later life. Mediation analyses reveal the indirect influence of child stressors via adult stressors on occurrence and severity of functional limitations; however, the indirect effects are slightly stronger for Black and Hispanic adults than their White counterparts. Discussion Child stressors, in and of themselves, do not increase functional limitations among Black and Hispanic people but are associated with greater adult stress exposure, predisposing them to more functional limitations. Results suggest that childhood stressors are associated with distinct social pathways to functional limitations among Black, White, and Hispanic older adults.

The Playing Field Is Uneven

Chapter 17 argues that the economic playing field in the United States is not level. Rather, the process is characterized by cumulative advantage and disadvantage. Those starting off with advantages or disadvantages with respect to their social class background will tend to experience a cumulative process of escalating advantage or disadvantage. This includes the quality of education one receives, the acquisition of human capital, the likelihood of being exposed to crime or environmental hazards, and the overall quality of life. In addition, race plays a prominent role in the process of cumulative inequality.

Loneliness, cumulative inequality and social capital in later life: Two stories

The potential impact of cumulative inequality upon loneliness in later life is under-researched. This study applies Ferraro and Shippee’s axioms of cumulative inequality to the narratives of two Northern Irish older women, who completed semi-structured diary entries over a 16-week period, recording and reflecting on their social lives and their personal histories. The two women were subsequently interviewed on the basis of what they had recorded. These stories reveal how the life trajectories of these two individuals are influenced by the different experiential impact of bonding and bridging social capital. Despite similar life experiences, significant and substantial differences emerged in the women’s stories, relating to work life, social class, the restrictions of a caring role, and physical and mental health. These two narratives not only provide evidence of the impact of cumulative inequality on loneliness but also highlight the lifetime impact of socio-economic status and access to capital affecting older women’s vulnerability to loneliness.