Gendered Employment Trajectories Across the Life Course: A 28-Year Perspective

What is the nature of the trajectories of individuals’ lives over the course of 28 years? How does participation in one state influence participation in various states across the life course? What is the cumulative impact of earlier states on eventual life chances? I answer these questions by employing the theoretical lenses of the life course, individualization, precariousness, reproduction, and gender and the analytical techniques of sequence and cluster analysis. Findings reveal that although trajectories tend to be standardized, normative, and age-typical, the distinct characteristics of the clusters are largely defined by ascriptive characteristics and gender-specific patterns of work following postsecondary study. Inconsistent patterns of full-time work across the life course by women suggest precariousness in terms of total household income which has implications for individual and family well-being. In particular, low reported prepandemic levels of physical and mental health by women will continue to be challenged in the aftermath of the COVID crisis.