Gender differences in employment behavior during late middle age.

Gender differences in the employment rates of 55- to 59-year-olds are concentrated among married persons. Wives are much less likely than their husbands to hold jobs and, more often, to cite family motivations as their most important reason for not working. The employment disparity is partially the result of the coordinated retirement decisions (combined with men typically marrying younger women), and is probably reinforced by the heavier caregiving commitments of females. Several findings are consistent with traditional role relationships, which emphasize specialization in market employment by males and home activities among females; however, the data are less compatible with a simple pattern where husbands "lead" and wives "follow".