Earlier employment choices based on family events in earlier life have an impact up until late working life, especially in welfare regimes that encourage the breadwinner-caretaker division. We investigate types of late employment patterns and how these are associated with earlier family events. We also test whether the association between early family history and late working life varies across five welfare regimes. Using retrospective life history data from SHARELIFE, our sample consists of 10,913 women and 10,614 men aged 65 years and older. Late working life trajectories are analyzed using gender-separate sequence analyses, which are summarized into eight groups applying cluster analyses. Using average marginal and interaction effects, we explain how the association between types of late working life, coresidential partnership history and parenthood history differs by welfare states. For instance, women’s late employment is either shaped by unpaid care or paid (full- or part-time) work but not both, whereas men’s late working life is mainly shaped by full-time work. Family history in earlier life is linked to unpaid care and part-time work—an association strongest in liberal and southern welfare regimes. However, among men earlier family events are linked to full-time work. Policymakers need gender-specific strategies to integrate workers into late working life. The implementation of new policies should aim to prevent these social inequalities in early life, as employment decisions caused by family history in earlier life stages—especially for women—tend to cumulate over the life course.

Objective: We explore gender differences in support of the norm that children must provide care for their parents. Background: Society's values and norms play a crucial role in deciding whether to provide family care. We investigate these values and norms on family care by analyzing which individual and country level factors affect them. Method: We use data from the European Values Study wave 5 and multilevel regression techniques. The question, "Adult children have the duty to provide long-term care for their parents", serves as our dependent variable. The explanatory variables at the individual level are gender and further socio-demographic variables. At the country level, we include expenditures on health care, and the female labor force participation rate. Results: The results show that women, as well as those living in countries with high expenditure on health care and high female labor force participation rates, are less supportive of the norm that children have an obligation to provide care for their parents. Furthermore, the gender effect is stronger in countries with a higher female labor force participation rate. Conclusion: Norms and values on family care are not fixed and can change, as suggested by the differences between countries. They are also not shared by all social groups equally, as the differences between women and men and along other socio-demographics show.

Background Earlier employment choices based on family events in earlier life have an impact up until late working life. Especially in welfare regimes that encourage the breadwinner-caretaker division. We investigate types of late employment patterns and how these are associated with earlier family events. Third, we test whether the association between early family history and late working life varies across five welfare regimes. Methods We use retrospective life history data from SHARELIFE. Our sample consists of 10,944 women and 10,662 men aged 65 years and older. Late working life trajectories are analyzed using gender-separate sequence analyses, which are summarized into eight groups applying cluster analyses. Using average marginal and interaction effects we explain how the association between types of late working life, coresidential partnership history and parenthood history differs by welfare states. Results Women’s late employment is either shaped by unpaid care or paid (full- or part-time) work but not both, whereas men’s late working life is mainly shaped by full-time work. Family history in earlier life is linked to unpaid care and part-time work – this association is strongest in liberal and southern welfare regimes. However, among men earlier family events are linked to full-time work. Discussion Policymakers need gender-specific strategies to integrate workers into late working life. The implementing of new policies should aim to prevent these social inequalities in early life, as employment decisions caused by family history in earlier life stages – especially for women – tend to cumulate over the life course.