THE PENSION MIX FOR WOMEN IN MIDDLE AND LATE-LIFE - THE CHANGING EMPLOYMENT RELATIONSHIP

The effects of life-course, employment and labor market characteristic s on the probability of pension participation and on type of pension c overage are estimated for two cohorts of working women in middle and l ate life, respectively. Thee National Longitudinal Surveys of Mature a nd Young Women are used to differentiate the relative importance of li fe course and diverse structural factors on worker pension participati on and employer coverage patterns. The defined contribution plan is ar gued to be an indicator of the changing employment relationship which is relieving employers of pension liability and increasing workers' re sponsibilities for retirement saving. Probit regressions are used to e stimate the relative risks for nonparticipation in any pension among t hese working women. Multinominal logistic models controlling for selec tivity, estimate cohort processes in workers' access to employer-provi ded pension types. The results reveal the relative importance for midd le-aged and older women of life course and structural variables that r eflect life stage and changing employment relationships. Younger cohor ts appear to be relatively more vulnerable to the changing employment contract given their greater dependence on defined contribution plans and the conflict between family and market contingencies.