Volume 25 - Article 12 | Pages 407-436

Occupational inequalities in health expectancies in France in the early 2000s: Unequal chances of reaching and living retirement in good health

By Emmanuelle Cambois, Caroline Laborde, Isabelle Romieu, Jean-Marie Robine


Date received:	05 Jan 2011
Date published:	09 Aug 2011
Word count:	6580
Keywords:	disability, France, health expectancies, occupational differentials, older working ages, social inequality
DOI:	10.4054/DemRes.2011.25.12

Abstract

Increasing life expectancy (LE) raises expectations for social participation at later ages. We computed health expectancies (HE) to assess the (un)equal chances of social/work participation after age 50 in the context of France in 2003. We considered five HEs, covering various health situations which can jeopardize participation, and focused on both older ages and the pre-retirement period. HEs reveal large inequalities for both sexes in the chances of remaining healthy after retirement, and also of reaching retirement age in good health and without disability, especially in low-qualified occupations. These results challenge the policy expectation of an overall increase in social participation at later ages.

Author's Affiliation

Emmanuelle Cambois - Institut national d´études démographiques (INED), France [Email]
Caroline Laborde - INSERM (Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale), France [Email]
Isabelle Romieu - INSERM (Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale), France [Email]
Jean-Marie Robine - INSERM U988 & U710 - EPHE, France [Email]