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Hidden Inequalities in the Workplace pp 91–126Cite as

Palgrave Macmillan

The Quality of Work Among Older Workers

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Part of the book series: Palgrave Explorations in Workplace Stigma ((PAEWS))

Abstract

Lawton and Wheatley contribute to understanding of patterns of work among older adults and, in particular, the quality of work they encounter. Older adults face increasing uncertainty in their economic and social lives due to changes in economic and welfare policies, while at the same time governments are promoting the benefits of extended working lives. This chapter explores the patterns of employment and reports on the variable quality of work among older adults , using UK data from the Annual Population Survey, Labour Force Survey and Understanding Society. Two-step cluster analysis and multinomial logistic regression suggest that working into later life predominantly reflects choice. However, the quality of work varies considerably and an important minority of older adults are constrained into working in low-quality jobs.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Economics, Nottingham Business School, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, UK

    Christopher Lawton

  2. Department of Business and Labour Economics, Birmingham Business School, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK

    Daniel Wheatley

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  1. Christopher Lawton
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  2. Daniel Wheatley
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Nottingham Business School, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, United Kingdom

    Valerie Caven

  2. Nottingham Business School, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, United Kingdom

    Stefanos Nachmias

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Lawton, C., Wheatley, D. (2018). The Quality of Work Among Older Workers. In: Caven, V., Nachmias, S. (eds) Hidden Inequalities in the Workplace. Palgrave Explorations in Workplace Stigma. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-59686-0_5

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