Justine M. McNamara’s research while affiliated with University of Canberra and other places

Despite the emphasis in U.S. social policy on the role of work in addressing poverty and disadvantage for young women, little research focuses on the long‐term benefits of work to women. This study focuses on the effects of work history and other factors on the economic well‐being of elderly women who had low income in midlife. It uses data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Mature Women (NLSMW) and spans the years from 1967 to 1999. Results suggest that if other factors are controlled, the amount of work low‐income women do in midlife has little effect on their economic well‐being in old age. Job characteristics, such as whether one is employed in a unionized setting and the availability of a pension plan, do have a positive effect on economic well‐being in old age.