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Cosa sappiamo sul legame causale tra lavoro e salute? Evidenze empiriche su donne e uomini in una società che invecchia
Carrino, Ludovico
Ardito, Chiara
Matalone, Silvia
2024
Abstract
This contribution examines the intrinsic relationship between employment and the health and psychological well-being of workers, with a particular focus on mature female workers in their career progression. The contribution first summarizes theoretical contributions that have highlighted a strong connection between job quality and workers’ well-being, then it discusses empirical evidence regarding the causal link between work and the health of mature workers. In particular, the contribution investigates the health effects of extended working careers, often induced by public policies raising the statutory pension age, which has particularly affected women in recent decades. Econometric studies suggest that extended careers can lead to negative effects on the mental health of female workers, especially among those engaged in physically and psychosocially demanding occupations, with pronounced inequalities among socioeconomic groups (Carrino et al., 2020). The contribution then discusses further significant social relevance of these reforms. An emerging literature in social sciences highlights how workers affected by pension reforms raising the statutory pension age, faces a conflict in choosing between dedicating time to their work or to their family, and how female workers employed in inflexible and intensive jobs tend to reduce the care provided to their vulnerable parents. Last, the contribution illustrates how economic studies can unravel the complexity of relationships between work environment and workers’ mental health, emphasizing the importance of a holistic approach in evaluating psychosocial risks in the workplace, addressing the potential adverse consequences of increases in retirement age on health and on the availability of informal caregiving activities.
Questo contributo si propone di esaminare il legame intrinseco tra l’attività lavorativa e lo stato di salute e benessere psicologico dei lavoratori, con uno sguardo privilegiato sulla popolazione delle donne lavoratrici in età matura. Il contributo riassume dapprima i contributi teorici che hanno evidenziato un forte legame tra qualità del lavoro e benessere del lavoratore e della lavoratrice, e discute poi le evidenze empiriche sul nesso di causa esistente tra lavoro e salute dei lavoratori in età matura. In particolare, il contributo studia gli effetti sulla salute del prolungamento delle carriere lavorative, spesso incentivato dall’innalzamento dell’età pensionabile legale, che negli ultimi decenni hainteressato in maggiore misura le donne. A fronte di prolungamenti delle carriere, si riscontrano significativi effetti negativi sulla salute mentale delle lavoratrici, in particolare quelle impegnate in lavori manuali e fisicamente usuranti, con forti diseguaglianze tra i gruppi socioeconomici (Carrino et al., 2020). Il contributo discute poi ulteriori effetti indesiderati di tali cambiamenti, di notevole rilevanza sociale. Si dimostra infatti come la popolazione di lavoratori interessata da tali riforme pensionistiche venga posta di fronte a un crescente conflitto di conciliazione, nella difficile scelta tra tempo da dedicare al lavoro o alla famiglia, e come le donne occupate in lavori poco flessibili e intensivi tendano a ridurre l’assistenza dedicata ai propri genitori fragili. In conclusione, il contributo mostra come gli studi economici possano sviscerare la complessità delle relazioni tra l’ambiente lavorativo e la salute mentale dei lavoratori e sottolinea l’importanza di un approccio olistico nella valutazione dei rischi psicosociali sul luogo di lavoro, nell’affrontare le possibili conseguenze indesiderate dell’incremento dell’età pensionabile sulla salute e sull’ l’attività di assistenza informale.
This contribution examines the intrinsic relationship between employment and the health and psychological well-being of workers, with a particular focus on mature female workers in their career progression. The contribution first summarizes theoretical contributions that have highlighted a strong connection between job quality and workers’ well-being, then it discusses empirical evidence regarding the causal link between work and the health of mature workers. In particular, the contribution investigates the health effects of extended working careers, often induced by public policies raising the statutory pension age, which has particularly affected women in recent decades. Econometric studies suggest that extended careers can lead to negative effects on the mental health of female workers, especially among those engaged in physically and psychosocially demanding occupations, with pronounced inequalities among socioeconomic groups (Carrino et al., 2020). The contribution then discusses further significant social relevance of these reforms. An emerging literature in social sciences highlights how workers affected by pension reforms raising the statutory pension age, faces a conflict in choosing between dedicating time to their work or to their family, and how female workers employed in inflexible and intensive jobs tend to reduce the care provided to their vulnerable parents. Last, the contribution illustrates how economic studies can unravel the complexity of relationships between work environment and workers’ mental health, emphasizing the importance of a holistic approach in evaluating psychosocial risks in the workplace, addressing the potential adverse consequences of increases in retirement age on health and on the availability of informal caregiving activities.
Source
Ludovico Carrino, Chiara Ardito, Silvia Matalone, "Cosa sappiamo sul legame causale tra lavoro e salute? Evidenze empiriche su donne e uomini in una società che invecchia", in: Saveria Capellari (a cura di ), "Parità: a che punto siamo? Contributi per un dialogo interdisciplinare", Trieste, EUT Edizioni Università di Trieste, 2024, pp. 221-239
Languages
it
Rights
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
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