Midlife Work Pathways and Educational Entry

This study examines how work pathways intersect with the pursuit of education andvocational training at midlife. The authors link two waves of the National Survey ofFamilies and Households (NSFH) to focus on respondents ages 42 to 62 at the secondwave (1992-94; n = 3,417). First, they differentiate work pathways by examiningsequences of employment and nonemployment or unemployment spells. It is foundthat initial inequalities in educational attainment are amplified and increase over thelife course, in a nonlinear manner. Work discontinuity is significantly related to poorhealth, lack of pensions, and life trajectories marked by low socioeconomic status.Gender, race, and life-course events also influence work mobility. In turn, educationalreentry and training at midlife are associated with resources, work pathway type, andearly educational achievement. The interdependence of work pathways and midlifeeducational reentry patterns may further differentiate the trajectories between workand retirement in future older cohorts.