Work History and Functional Limitations in Later Life Under Changed Institution in China

TL;DR

This study explores how work history in China affects physical abilities in later life, especially after the 1978 economic reforms.

Contribution

The study reveals how institutional changes and work history influence later-life health outcomes in China.

Findings

Urban work histories were linked to lower functional limitations and slower decline in later life.

Rural hukou holders had fewer non-rural employment opportunities, affecting their access to pensions and healthcare.

Farmers and migrant workers showed significantly higher functional limitations compared to urban workers.

Abstract

This study examines the impact of work history on functional limitations in later life among individuals who experienced China’s 1978 economic reform.

Data were drawn from the 2011–2018 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) for respondents born between 1934 and 1964. Sequence analysis was used to categorize work histories by type and duration. Tobit models were applied to estimate the effects of work trajectories on functional limitations in later life.

The economic reform facilitated transitions from farming to non-rural work, yet hukou-based urban-rural divisions shaped access to pensions, medical insurance, and housing benefits. Urban work histories were associated with lower functional limitations and a slower decline over time. Compared to urban workers with an urban hukou, self-employed individuals with an urban hukou (b = 1.570, p < 0.001), farmers with a rural hukou (b = 1.465, p < 0.05), and older migrant workers (b = 1.662, p < 0.001) exhibited higher levels of functional limitations.

Rural hukou holders had fewer opportunities for non-rural employment, limiting their access to pensions, healthcare, and better living conditions. Those engaged in rural work experienced significantly higher functional limitations compared to individuals in other employment types.