GENDER DIFFERENCES IN EMPLOYMENT BEHAVIOR DURING LATE MIDDLE-AGE

Gender differences in the employment rates of 55 to 59-year-olds are c oncentrated among married persons. Wives are much less likely than the ir husbands to hold jobs and, more often, to cite family motivations a s their most important reason for not working. The employment disparit y is partially the result of the coordinated retirement decisions (com bined with men typically marrying younger women), and is probably rein forced by the heavier caregiving commitments of females. Several findi ngs are consistent with traditional role relationships, which emphasiz e specialization in market employment by males and home activities amo ng females; however, the data are less compatible with a simple patter n where husbands ''lead'' and wives ''follow.''