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Youly Yi, Yonsei University, South KoreaAbstract
This study examines whether the effects of childbearing on women's wages persist and accumulate into later life, contributing to gendered wage disparities among older workers. Drawing on a life course perspective and gendered cumulative disadvantage theory, the study analyzes KLoSA panel data (2006–2022) for individuals aged 65 to 85 using three analytical models: Random Effects, Fixed Effects, and Growth Curve Models. Results show that older women consistently earn less than older men, and that the gender wage gap has widened over time. More children are associated with lower wages for both genders; however, wage trajectory analysis reveals that the number of children significantly slows wage growth only among older women, not among men. Women with two or more children exhibit markedly slower wage growth over time, while those with three or more children show virtually no wage growth throughout the observation period. These findings demonstrate that childbearing constraints accumulate across the life course and continue to shape economic outcomes in later life, operating as a structural mechanism of gendered inequality.
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Conference: AGen2026Stream: Aging and Gerontology
This paper is part of the AGen2026 Conference Proceedings (View)
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To cite this article:
Yi Y. (2026) The Cumulative Effect of Number of Children on Wage Disparities by Gender in Later Life ISSN: 2432-4183 The Asian Conference on Aging & Gerontology 2026: Official Conference Proceedings (pp. 195-208) https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2432-4183.2026.16
To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2432-4183.2026.16
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