Session: Employment and Equitable Policy across the Life Course (Society for Social Work and Research 29th Annual Conference)

Policymaking at the intersection of work and health broadly aims to address systemic inequalities, promote equitable access to public resources, and foster environments conducive to optimal well-being for all workers. Existing studies have documented positive contributions of policies like Medicaid, paid leave, minimum wage, and Social Security on health and economic outcomes. However, key questions remain regarding how federal, state, and local policies affect work and interact across the life course. By examining the mechanisms driving work and economic security for first-time mothers, young adults, Indigenous Peoples, and older adults, the symposium generates new policy-relevant implications for a more equitable social welfare system.

In the first paper, Rothwell and Geoghegan use novel linked administrative data from Oregon between 2014 and 2019 to examine return to work two years after birth among first-time mothers. Authors explicitly test two explanations for mothers returning to work: social causation and health selection. They find evidence for both frameworks, but relatively more support for social causation. Prior work history (positive) and Medicaid at birth (negative) were the strongest predictors of work at follow up.

Next, Abrahamson-Richards et al. investigate income stability, access to parental leave, and associated outcomes among American Indian and Alaska Native mothers in Washington State. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach, this research explores facilitators and barriers to leave access for these mothers, particularly Washington's Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) program. Findings reveal significant perinatal income disruptions, disparities in both earned income and projected PFML access, intersecting inequities, and individual and community strengths participants experience during the perinatal period.

In the third paper, Romich et al. use Washington Merged Longitudinal Administrative Data (WMLAD) to examine how Seattle's minimum wage increases affected young workers aged 16 to 24. They use matching and triple difference models to estimate the impact of higher minimum wages on young workers' employment outcomes. Preliminary results show that hours worked among young workers in Seattle fell while earnings remained the same.

In the fourth paper, Freitag adds to a small body of research on age-based disability determination rules using administrative microdata from multiple agencies in Washington state spanning from 2010-2017. Freitag estimates Supplemental Security Income (SSI) take-up rates by age and identifies age varying patterns of employment, homelessness, and public assistance use among SSI recipients in the five years prior to SSI take-up. This study adds novel evidence to the literature about the role of age-based regulations in SSI take-up and the hardships people face prior to receiving SSI.

Finally, at the later stage of the life course, Slopen examines the relationship between paid sick leave access and employment intensity among workers as they reach the age for early Social Security claims. She finds that access to the flexibility provided by paid sick leave supports workers to remain in full-time employment. Further, paid sick leave particularly supports women and those with more education, but may not reach Latinx workers. Findings have implications for economic security and retirement preparedness and speak to the need for public policies to improve equity.